Arline B. Hankins, 85
Arline Birdie Hankins, passed away on March 2, 2024, two days before her 86th birthday. She was surrounded by her family at her daughter’s home in Baltimore. She had been receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital for pancreatic cancer for the past six months.
Arline was born to parents Jack and Dorothy Feher on March 4, 1938, and grew up in Visalia, California, alongside her younger brother, Stan. She graduated from Occidental College in 1960 with a BA in sociology and then worked in Oakland as a probation officer in a girls’ juvenile detention center. It was in Oakland, at the pool of her apartment complex, that she met Rodger, whom she would later marry and spend 61 wonderful years alongside.
Over the next few decades, Rodger’s career prompted multiple moves across the United States and Europe. Together, they raised their two children, Brian and Susan, while residing in Northern and Southern California, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. There were also two international assignments in Brussels, Belgium, and Geneva, Switzerland. They made a remarkable team in all aspects of life, and even found success on the tennis court, defeating a Swiss tennis pro and his partner in the championship match of the Tournois de Genève.
Arline spent most of the last three decades in Whitefish. There, she and Rodger continued to share their love of outdoor activities, adventure, and travel - exploring Italy, France, New Zealand, Iceland, and Hungry, where her grandparents emigrated from. Arline enjoyed golfing, hiking, skiing, trips to Glacier Park, and hosting their many visitors.
No matter where Arline called home, she always found ways to volunteer and help those less fortunate. In Whitefish, she found community within the First Presbyterian Church, where she blended her many passions with her strong faith and the happiness she got from helping others. As a life-long lover of music, she found joy in performing with the church’s handbell choir and playing the piano. She loved to cook and was never shy to volunteer her skills to prepare meals for those in need. She was a deacon for the Church, as well as the administrator of their prayer chain, and looked forward to joining her friends for their weekly Bible study sessions. Arline will be remembered for her overwhelming compassion, warmth, kindness, and an undying love for the welfare of others.
She is survived by her husband, Rodger; brother, Stanley; son, Brian; daughter, Susan and her husband, Geoffrey; and her two grandchildren, Charlotte and Grant.
She was a kind and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, and will be deeply missed by all those who knew her.
A celebration of Arline’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 15, at the First Presbyterian Church of Whitefish. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The First Presbyterian Church of Whitefish or the North Valley Music School.