Obituary of Imogene Hanners

Services for Imogene Morris Hanners of Lovington, will be held 10:00 am, Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at First United Methodist Church in Lovington with Pastor Matt Bridges, officiating. Burial will follow in Lovington Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday the 28th from 1:00-7:00 pm at Kirby Ratliff Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 pm. Imogene Morris Hanners left this earth peacefully on July 23, 2020. She was born on September 10, 1929 in El Dorado, Arkansas to B.B. and Edna Morris. As a young child in Arkansas she performed pop tunes on the radio in El Dorado. Mr. B.B. moved the family to the Skelly Camp in Lovington in 1939. Mrs. Hanners sang with Florence Anderson's special choir in high school. Imogene graduated as salutatorian in 1947. While attending UNM on a Rotary Scholarship she married Jerome Thomas Hanners in October 1949. They were married 61 years until his death on April 22, 2010. Imogene earned her BA in Education from Texas Western which is now UTEP in El Paso and earned her Master of Education from ENMU in 1973.In 1952, Jerry and Imogene lost a daughter, Laura Jean. They moved to Leadville, CO where Imogene started her teaching career. In 1954, they returned to Lovington where she taught in the Lovington Public School System for 40 years. Mrs. Hanners taught English and was loved by her students. She was a tough task master but was fair. Imogene had a sweet smile for everyone. She joined the First United Methodist Church in 1947 and remained a member until her death. She sang in the FUMC chancel choir every Sunday until health problems interfered. Imogene ran the Sunday School program for 20 years and rang church bells with the Jubilate Bell Choir. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi. Imogene was very involved in the Hobbs Community Theatre and sang in several community choirs. For many years she was instrumental in securing season ticket subscriptions in Lovington for the Southwest Symphony. Imogene was a lifetime member of the Lovington Public Library and headed the committee for the Lovington Library Birthday Calendar. Jerry and Imogene were named Lea County Pioneers in 1998. They were charter members of the Lea County Western Heritage Museum and very active in the Lea County Museum in Lovington. She read to the residents at Good Samaritan Home for many years. Imogene was preceded in death by a daughter, Laura Jean; her husband of 61 years, Jerry Hanners; her parents, B.B. and Edna Morris; 2 sisters, Doris Morris Baty and Lillian Annette Jones. She is survived by a daughter, Alice Maniello and her husband, Mike of Lovington; granddaughter, Lauren Elizabeth Maniello of Tucson, AZ; 2 nieces, Elaine Vigil and husband, Gus of Lovington and Amy Careaga and husband Dave of Lovington; nephew, David Jones and wife, Patty of McCamey, TX; one surprise and cherished nephew, Ralph Hayward of New Hampshire; 3 great nieces; 1 great nephew and 8 feline friends. The family would like to thank the Lovington Healthcare Nursing Home for their love and care of Imogene during her stay there. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the FUMC General Fund, 407 N. Main, Lovington, NM 88260 or to the Lovington Healthcare Nursing Home, 1600 W. Ave. I, Lovington, NM 88260. Services are under the direction of Kirby Ratliff Funeral Home in Lovington.