Velie, Doris E.

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Birth

Doris E. Velie was born nearby in Greenville, on March 31, 1919, the daughter of the late Roscoe and Elizabeth Finch Velie.

Marriage & Children

Doris Velie married Dwight C. Hannay. Their children were:

• Carol, and her husband, David Guilzon
• Robert D. Hannay

Death

Mrs. Hannay died at St. Peter’s Hospice Inn in Albany on Friday, Oct. 12, (2012) after a brief illness, with her family by her side. She was 93.

Obituary

WESTERLO ‑ Doris Elizabeth Hannay loved biblical stories where God kept promises.

“Like when Abraham was promised a son, who turned out to be Isaac,” said Carol Guilzon, Mrs. Hannay’s daughter. “They waited 25 years and that took a long time, and that took a lot of faith. She liked stories that required faith.”

After a brief illness, Mrs. Hannay died at St. Peter’s Hospice Inn in Albany on Friday, Oct. 12, (2012) with her family by her side. She was 93.

Mrs. Hannay was the oldest living member of the First Bap‑ tist Church of Westerlo. She was treasurer of the church missions fund and member of the Moody Bible Institute Guild. With her husband, Dwight C. Hannay, she was heavily involved in the Capital City Rescue Mission of Albany.

Mrs. Guilzon, who grew up with missionaries sometimes staying at the house, said her mother was a humanitarian.

For Mrs. Guilzon and her husband, David, Mrs. Hannay’s most memorable quality was that she thought of others, whether it was with her faith in God, her friends, or her family. “She was always excited about what the younger person was going to do with their life, and she would always encourage them,” said David. “The spiritual things that they could build up, that was more important.”

Mrs. Hannay, who taught Sunday school for over 20 years, would help Guilzon’s daughter, Melody Rebeor, with her school projects as a kindergarten teacher. She taught 2‑ and 3‑year‑olds, singing songs with them, like “Jesus Loves Me,” and illustrating biblical stories with puppets and flannel cutouts that are still sometimes used at the church. “She got many hugs and kisses every Sunday,” said Guilzon. “They called her ‘Gram.’ A lot of people in the church called her ‘Gram’ — even some of the adults.”

Mrs. Hannay was well known in Westerlo, where she had lived her whole life. She was born nearby in Greenville, on March 31, 1919, the daughter of the late Roscoe and Elizabeth Finch Velie. Before friend Mildred Risley died, Mrs. Hannay enjoyed being outside, picking flowers with her. They would park their car on the side of a road and collect flowers to be dried and made into arrangements for her house or Ms. Risley’s shop.

Mrs. Hannay met her husband, Dwight, when she was 16 and in high school.

“My father had a car, which at that time not too many people had cars,” said Mrs. Guilzon. “They’d tell stories about running the car really fast, though they didn’t tell Dad’s father. She would just get this silly look on her face when she would talk about it.”

As president of Hannay Reels, Inc., Mr. Hannay wore a coat and tie that Mrs. Guilzon said, was “always immaculately pressed” by Mrs. Hannay. She liked to wear the color blue and Pendleton clothes.

For a special treat, Mrs. Guilzon remembers Mrs. Hannay would take her to shop at Myers and Whitney’s department stores in downtown Albany, and she once bought her a piano.

“I played piano at church for years,” said Mrs. Guilzon. “It gave me a whole new avenue for my life which I appreciated so deeply.” Her granddaughter Melody Rebeor said she is thankful she was able to be with Mrs. Hannay when she died, adding that in the moment Mrs. Hannay had a tear in her right eye.

“There was just a sense of relief for her, that finally after all these years she was able to go on to be in heaven with her husband and her son,” said Mrs. Rebeor. Mrs. Rebeor said her grandmother was a constant in her life.

“Take it easy on the road,’ that was what she always said when we left,” said Mrs. Rebeor.

Doris E. Hannay is survived by her daughter, Carol, and her husband, David Guilzon, and daughter-in-law, Marilyn Hannay, all of Westerlo; grandchildren, Melody Rebeor and her husband, David, of Westerlo, Mark Guilzon and his wife, Jodi, of Tanzania, Scott Hannay and his wife, Beverly, of Westerlo, Sherri Gerhardt and her husband, Steve, of Lansing, Mich., Shaun Hannay and his wife, Diane, of Redmond, Ore., Michael Hannay and his wife, Gayle, of Westerlo; 15 great-grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Hannay and her husband, Richard, of Lindale, Ga.; and several nieces and nephews. Her parents, Roscoe and Elizabeth Finch Velie, her husband, Dwight C. Hannay, her son, Robert D. Hannay, and her great-grandson, Joshua Gerhardt, died before her.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be conducted on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Westerlo. There are no calling hours, and burial has been conducted privately. Arrangements are by the A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home of Greenville, and mourners may leave condolences online at ajcunninghamfh.com. Memorial donations may be made to Mercy Medical Missions, care of Delmar Full Gospel Church, Post Office Box 318, Delmar, NY 12054, or the Capital City Rescue Mission, 259 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12202.

— Marcello Iaia

Altamont Enterprise - October 18, 2012

Additional Media

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