When I look back at teachers that made a difference in my life, Mrs. Hanely is at the top of the list. She was my English teacher at Bloomington in the 70's. She had such a positive impact on me - I'll never forget her teaching style and above all, her laugh. I went on to love writing and eventually published a children's book. I'm sure there are thousands of others that benefited from this wonderful woman. Sincerely, Kristy (Eckles) Raines BHS '77

Mrs. Hanely was a great teacher. She scared the daylights out of me, but I learned a lot from her. She will be missed. I am very sorry for your loss.

I am so sorry for your loss. I remember so vividly the time I spent in Mrs. Hanely's class. As a 7th grader I thought she was tough and a little rough around the edges. As an 8th grader who got to spend time with her at Outdoor Ed, I realized she was a warm, caring, and very funny woman. I've never forgotten that, or how to spell my numbers for that matter! May God hold you in his arms and give you peace, Mrs. Hanely!

Grace Baptist Church in Taylorville, IL, is thinking of you and praying for you at this time. Your mother was a godly Christian lady and we are so glad to have met her. May her testimony of her faith in her Lord give you the grace and comfort in the days ahead. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

We are sorry to learn of the passing of your mother. She was a delightful lady and one of the best people and teachers that we had the honor of knowing. Due to her health situation we had not seen her in a number of years but we used to have her over for dinner and always enjoyed the visit--swapping stories about our years together at the Junior High. You have our sincere condolences and you can be proud of her and the long years of having her with you. Sincerely, Chuck & Carol

Mrs. Hanely was my junior high English teacher (1971-ish)! I could never forget her because she always called me "Little Miss Blue Eye Shadow." I thought she was hard on me at the time but it was later I realized what a wonderful teacher and person she was. I don't remember many of my teachers from Jr. High but she is at the top of the list! Sincere condolences. Clydette (Wiley) Wantland BHS`77

Please accept my deepest sympathies for your loss. Betty Hanely was a wonderful teacher and mentor. I enjoyed working with her at BJHS when 6th grade was added to the Junior High. Her high expectations stretched both pupils and teachers. My only regret is that she retired the year my son reached 7th grade. Although it is our loss here on earth, it is heaven's gain now that Betty has gone to her well earned reward. May God's peace touch your hearts and minds at this difficult time.

I would like to send my deepest sympathy and love to all of you. I was so blessed and honored to start my teaching career in 1990 at the new BJHS. Betty gave me so much love, guidance and advice my first several years. I taught in the Language Arts department with Betty and learned so much from her. I also was able to observe and work with her at the old BJHS when I was at Illinois State. Betty never forgot my birthday and I always looked forward to getting her cards. She was truly a remarkable woman who touched so many students' and adults' lives. God bless her. I am so grateful to have worked with her. She was my mentor and friend. I thank God that she is now watching over me. Another beautiful angel in Heaven for all of us to look up to.

We wish to convey our sympathies to the family of Betty Hanely. Betty was our neighbor and friend for 22 yearsa . Betty was always with us at our neighborhood block parties - in fact she attended just this September and seemed to be doing well considering her illness. She had a good time visiting with everyone. I always felt bad that she was alone for so many years but she was also very lucky to have remained in her home. She had very good help. What a blessing! Once again our sincere sympathy but i think she would agree that she is in a better place now Congratulations to her for a life well lived. Martie, Tom Cinnamon 1306 Joan Way, Normal

Betty Hanely was a master educator. She inspired me as a colleague. I always appreciated her sincerity and wit. My sincere sympathy to you on her passing.

I will always remember Betty as a lovely woman who personified the word "lady." We shared the love of literature and had many discussions about what we were reading and would recommend. Our family loved having her come for Thanksgiving dinners and she will be sorely missed this year and always. My deepest condolences to Betty's family from ours. Sandy, Colleen & Lauren Schinneer

I will always remember Betty as a lovely woman who personified the word "lady." We shared the love of literature and had many discussions about what we were reading and would recommend. Our family loved having her come for Thanksgiving dinners and she will be sorely missed this year and always. My deepest condolences to Betty's family from ours. Sandy, Colleen & Lauren Schinneer

I will always remember Betty as a lovely woman who personified the word "lady." We shared the love of literature and had many discussions about what we were reading and would recommend. Our family loved having her come for Thanksgiving dinners and she will be sorely missed this year and always. My deepest condolences to Betty's family from ours. Sandy, Colleen & Lauren Schinneer

I am so sorry for your loss. Mrs. Hanley was a wonderful teacher. I was fortunate to have her for English and Homeroom in the 7th grade. She was also my Outdoor Ed. Counselor. She made a great impact on me back then, and I still think of her when I write. She made sure I didn't forget that it's "brothers-in-law" not "brother-in-laws.". That memory of her makes me smile. Thinking of you, Stephanie Long, class of '87

I started out knowing her as Mrs. Hanely, my seventh grade English teacher, but later I came to know her as Betty, my friend. I will always remember her jokes about being 102 years old and the stories about Son #1 and Son #2 she shared with the class. To this day, I find myself emulating her on occasion as I talk and joke with students in my own classrooms. Several years ago I remember calling my parents only to find they had some guests whom they put one by one on the phone to see if I would remember them. The minute I heard Betty's voice, I recognized her and was absolutely thrilled to be chatting with her once again. On Earth Betty Hanely was an angel in the guise of a teacher and friend. May she now reside with all the other angels in Heaven, knowing she earned that A+ on life's report card. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

We have only good memories of Betty--her warm and outgoing personality and her gifts of teaching and encouragement,shared with students and colleagues alike. She truly had the joy of the Lord.

Coincidentally, I had been thinking of Mrs. Haneley a lot when I received the news that she had passed. She was my English teacher at BJHS (1986-ish) and I never had another instructor quite like her. I remember having undiagnosed asthma at the time and I would have to step outside the door with horrible coughing fits. I was so embarrassed because she was strict and I was a bit afraid of her! She was always telling us she was "ancient," and given that I was 12 at the time, I believed her. In retrospect, she was FAR from ancient (probably 64 at the time), but had a sense of humor that ran so deep that us Junior High-er's couldn't always get it. And even if you DID get the joke, you were a little too afraid to laugh. But she did have a wry smile that let you in on her humor and heart. As far as I could tell, I was the main person in my class who loved her and that's because she was TOUGH! I never had another English teacher that was so demanding. I never had another English teacher that I learned so much from! I remember her having us read passages and we would have to deconstruct the sentences into their parts of speech. This really put us on the spot, but it helped me SO MUCH with my grammar. I do count it as part of the reason I have become a successful translator (I speak 5 languages). Understanding MY first language made it easier to learn a foreign language. I have a Masters in Linguistics and believe me, the ability to diagram sentences saved me from big headaches in graduate level syntax classes. While others struggled, I was saying to myself, "Eh, I did this in the 7th grade." With as many students as she had, I have no idea if Mrs. Hanley would remember me. But I think of her often. I homeschool my children and I will see to it that they be able to do what Mrs. Hanley taught us to do! By the way, I got only A's in her class. And with her, that meant something. :)

Because of some previous commitments, I will be unable to express my condolences in person, but I wanted to express my thoughts and convey my sympathy through e-mail. I've known Betty for many years, starting with my student teaching at BJHS back in 1964. Betty had quite a reputation as an excellent teacher, and I learned some valuable teaching techniques from her. I went on to teach English for 22 years at BHS, and during my last 5 years there was lead teacher. In that role, I occasionally worked with the BJHS staff. I would host a combined junior-senior high English department Christmas party each year, and Betty was always there. She was such a delightful person--so much fun and full of hilarious stories. These past several years, I have gone with a neighbor to visit Betty, and she and I always had a really great time reliving memories of our days in District 87 and catching up on people we had known from our teaching days. I was not only impressed with Betty's teaching of subject matter, I was equally impressed with the love she had for her students and fellow staff members. Betty loved them deeply, and they loved, even revered her in return. She was a person of deep Christian faith, and as such was a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus, modeling all she said and did on His teachings. I'm certain she has already heard her Lord's words, "Well done, good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21 Carl Lauer