Kelly Hanlon

October 16, 2018

On October 16, 2018, our beloved daughter, sister, niece, aunt, cousin, teacher and friend, Kelly Hanlon, passed away peacefully at the age of 43 at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Kelly is survived by her parents Brian and Linda, sister Kristin and many other family members and friends who miss her dearly.

Blessed with the “famous” Hanlon stubbornness, Kelly fought her illness to the end with grace and dignity, succumbing only at the end when her body could no longer support dialysis. Kelly’s family is grateful to all of the doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers in the Surrey Memorial Hospital Intensive Care Unit and High Acuity Unit who cared for Kelly over the three months she was in hospital, and particularly Dr. Bruce and Dr. Yerman, who looked beyond her illness to appreciate her wit, intelligence, determination and sly sense of humour.

Kelly was a devoted teacher at Frank Hurt Secondary and head of the Mathematics department. She took great pride in her student’s achievements and always had an entertaining story about life as a teacher in the public school system. Her students said she was an amazing teacher, and approached teaching with humour, dedication, and love and understanding.

Outside of work, Kelly pursued her artistic talents; she was an accomplished painter, knitter, photographer and pianist. She had a passion for travelling and trying new cuisines and some favourite memories were where the two intersected, such as the cooking school in Florence, Italy and sampling Peruvian cuisine at Machu Picchu. She loved to share these adventures with friends and family members.

Kelly’s life was cut too short, but she had a rich life, and the lives of those who survive her are better off as a result of her having been part of them. She will be greatly missed.

A private celebration of life ceremony will be held by Kelly’s family in the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider the Kidney Foundation of Canada or Canadian Liver Foundation. Please consider the Kelly Hanlon Memorial Scholarship http:surreyschools.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/829/90/false/true

You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence for the family.

Messages of Condolence

A friend and peer who exposed me to knitting and painting and who we shared other art classes such as throwing clay, wet felting and yes basket weaving. We also shared many laughs over food or lunch time marking and prep. She leaves behind her sense of humour and care for others as her biggest legacy. I will miss you Kelly but you will be with me on my journeys as you followed me on past ones.

- Sandra Meier

I'm very sorry to hear about Kelly's passing. I was one of the Vice Principals at Frank Hurt for six years and worked closely with Kelly on a number of Math department initiatives. I would often stop in during lunch to take part in the Math group's lunch banter - always taking place in Kelly's classroom. I really enjoyed and appreciated her quick wit and strong advocacy for her students and department.

- Jeff May

I worked with Hanny for over 15 years at FH. In those 15 years there wasn't a day that went by where we didn't laugh together or at each other. She just loved to laugh in general and that made working with her a pleasure. So many fond memories and almost all of them include laughing. I always use to bug her that she wasted her life becoming a teacher b/c she was so talented in so many different disciplines. The most fun we had was watching SNL Jeopardy skits and Jon Lajoie videos during lunch and laughing so hard that we had tears coming out. We proudly shared our student successes and lamented on their failures. When we taught the same course we always had a friendly competition amongst our classes. Some days she'd get her students to phone my class from her room to prank me while I was teaching. Although the students were too scared to do it she knew me well and knew I'd laugh and appreciate the prank:) I'm glad to say I worked beside you for 15 years, Hanny. You were a colleague and friend and won't be forgotten...

- GBizzle

Our condolences Brian and Linda! We just saw this in the paper today (Oct.26) Sorry to hear about the loss of your precious daughter! We will pray for comfort for you both during this difficult time! Hugs and love! John & Donna

- John & Donna Toews

Dear Brian and Linda: So sorry to read of the terrible loss of your daughter Kelly, it must be so difficult to bear. Please know we are supporting you in prayer. Ted and Nadine Staunton

- Ted & Nadine Staunton

I want to extend my condolences to all of Kelly’s family. I worked with Kelly at Canada games pool for many years and shared so many laughs with her as we supervised together and went through our university years together. I was so saddened to hear of the news of her passing today. I often reflect on our CGP Years and will cherish the humour and wit with which Kelly was able to approach even the most challenging situations.

- Rita Ciconte

I was very saddened to hear of Kelly’s passing. As a retired math teacher and TOC, I appreciated Kelly’s skills and dedication to her students. Her intelligence and sense of humour were very refreshing. She was an outstanding teacher who had a wonderful impact on her students. She will be missed.

- Jerry Mandoli

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