Donna Rea Hanly

Beloved mother, dear friend, and devoted grandmother, Donna Rea Hanly, passed away on August 1, 2016 at the age of 75. She was born in Enon, Missouri on May 24, 1941. Formerly of Columbia, Missouri, she moved to St. Louis in 2014 after retirement in order to live closer to her grandchildren, Sean and Fiona Ferguson, and her daughter, Lisa Hanly and son-in-law, Michael Ferguson, all of whom survive her. She is also survived by her daughter Heather Hanly and son-in-law Dan Purcell of Oakland, California. Donna was preceded in death in 2004 by her husband of 39 years, E.J. Hanly, and was also preceded in death by her sister, Loyce (Rea) Robinson and brother, Clyde Rea, as well as their parents Edwin and Marie Rea.

Donna was dedicated to the University of Missouri-Columbia, spending more than 19 years working as an Academic Advisor in the Political Science Department. Her dedication to students was recognized in 1999 when she won the coveted Blue Chalk Award for Excellence in Academic Advising on behalf of the University of Missouri-Columbia and she was recognized in a national ceremony in Washington, D.C. She also worked in Mizzou's Admissions department before she was an advisor, serving students for a total of 25 years. She held both a Bachelor's and a Masters in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University. Before her career in Columbia, she opened a whole foods store (way before its time!) in Rolla, Missouri called Hanly's Food for Health. She also wrote a weekly column in the Rolla Daily News on health and food topics called, "Ask Donna."

Donna loved baking and cooking, attending live theater, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Her volunteer work reflected this as she dedicated thousands of hours over the years to Kiwanis, the Columbia Public library, food pantries and charitable book festivals. And if you visited her at home, you can bet you'd smell amazing bread fresh out of the oven. Memorial contributions may be made to the Mizzou Scholarship of your choice, Heifer International, Kiwanis (Columbia, MO chapter), the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry'“St. Louis or any non-profit live theater or animal rescue organization.

Her life, her joy for people, her work, and her love of cats will be remembered and missed by many. A private memorial is being held by the family.