Betty Kerans

September 15, 1922 - November 24, 2019

Betty Eileen Hancock Kerans died in her sleep at her home at Elmcroft of Fairborn, Ohio on 24 November 2019. She was 97 years of age. Betty was born in Decatur, Illinois on 15 September 1922, the middle of the three children of Dorothy Agnes Moore Hancock and Harry Hershel Hancock. With older brother Jack and younger brother Gene as coconspirators, Betty grew up in Paris, Illinois with just enough to get through the Great Depression happily and healthily with many great stories. By all accounts, they had a great time in school. Betty was a member of the Class of 1940. Those of the class that survived WWII remained a close group throughout their lives, holding heavily attended reunions for more than 60 years. Betty and James Kerans were married in 1946. They had two children; Ronald and Nancy. Jim’s career in the U.S. Air Force led to frequent moves and interesting venues including Johnston Island in the Pacific and Bangkok, Thailand. Nancy developed a serious heart defect at age 7, which challenged her throughout much of her life. She had numerous special needs for many years, including home schooling, that provided many additional challenges for Betty. When Nancy became able to carry on a normal life, Betty moved back into the workplace and went from part-time school secretary to senior administrative support for the Life Support Systems Program Office at Wright-Patterson, AFB, to admin support for several programs at UES, Inc. in Dayton, OH. Her organizational skills and high standards made her a highly valued colleague everywhere she worked. Betty’s life experiences made her an unusually independent woman for her time. After Jim’s death in 1984, she continued travelling on her own, frequently driving to Illinois and beyond to see family and friends. She also travelled world-wide, sometimes with family, but often with a friend or two. These trips included Australia, Central Europe and the UK. She also acquired the necessary skills and did much of the maintenance on her home, which she shared for a time with her granddaughter, Jessica. Betty had many interests and was always on the lookout for new ones. She was a longtime member of Toastmasters, took up leaded glass, learned to windsurf, square-danced, acted in stage plays, took writing classes, and wrote a memoir. Her book, Movin’ On: Stories of My Life and Times chronicles vignettes from nearly all stages of her life. She became a member and regular attendee at the Fairborn Baptist Church and developed many good friends in the congregation. Betty is preceded in death by her husband James Kerans, daughter Nancy Kerans, and younger brother, Gene Hancock. She is survived by her older brother Jack Hancock of Nashville, TN, son Ronald Kerans and daughter-in-law Robin Hamilton, of Yellow Springs, OH, and her beloved granddaughter Jessica Kerans of Columbus, Ohio. A celebration of Betty’s life will be held at Adkins Funeral Home at 7055 Dayton Road, Enon, OH 45323, on Monday, 2 December 2019. A visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. immediately followed by the service at 2:00 p.m. There will be no graveside service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Save A Child’s Heart Foundation, U.S., https://www.saveachildsheart.org.