Evelyn Norman Hankins

Evelyn Norman Hankins, 96, of Smyrna, Georgia passed away February 16, 2026. She was preceded in death by her husband Robert J. Hankins, brothers Harold A. Norman and Joseph A. Norman, her sister and brother-in-law Jim and Linda Nixon, and sister-in-law Mrs. Joseph (Norma) Norman. She leaves behind her son and daughter-in-law Damon and Jean Hankins, daughter Letha Hankins, sister-in-law Mrs. Harold (Mary) Norman, granddaughters Elizabeth Deeb and Lydia Parvanta, grandson James Robert Hankins and son-in-law Matt Deeb, great granddaughter Jasmine Prather, great great granddaughter Kaiya Prather and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Born in Tazwell County, Virginia on June 3,1929, she was the eldest of four siblings as the daughter of the late George W. and Ida Deskins Norman. She attended Richlands High School, and her first job was working in her uncle Leck’s general store. In school Evelyn enjoyed English and Home Economics classes, where her future husband bought her cookbook for class, and liked bowling, going to baseball and football games, and roller skating.

After graduating from Richlands High School, Evelyn married Robert Hankins. Their first home was built by her cousins and her in-laws. It was by a creek and had a classic white picket fence. After selling their gas station, Robert joined the Air Force and over the course of his military career was stationed in New Hampshire, the Philippines, Illinois and her favorite place, Charleston, South Carolina. They passed through Alaska, Hawaii and Japan to serve in the Philippines. While in the Philippines, Evelyn worked for the Red Cross with the officer’s wives and helped arrange surgeries for Filipino babies born with cleft palates. In Illinois, while working at the base hospital, she was involved in caring for wounded soldiers returning from Korea. After returning from the Philippines, a fond memory was the family road trip from the West Coast to the East coast on Route 66 in their 1964 Chevy station wagon, the kind with the wood on the sides.

After spending 20 years on the move with the Air Force the family moved to Smyrna when her husband “Jess” started working for Lockheed. Evelyn worked at Rich’s Department Store for 32 years in draperies, gift wrap and the cash office. She was assigned to the cash office because she had the most patience with the older customers and went on to receive an award for opening the most credit accounts. She also took secretarial classes at a neighboring technical college. Her traveling continued with trips to Utah, Ohio, Virginia and Florida. The family had a lake house in Georgia that Evelyn loved to visit, too. After the death of her husband in 1999, she continued her life-long habit of volunteer work in the gift shop at Emory Adventist Hospital in Smyrna. She was also a breast cancer survivor and continued to contribute to the quality of life of her family, including a trip to Virginia to help care for her son after a slip on icy steps led to a broken leg.

A lifelong Methodist, Evelyn enjoyed teaching Sunday School, and her grandchildren have been a special source of joy to her. Her first granddaughter had a special shelf for her “Juicy Juice” at Grandma’s house and made everyone laugh when she declared that casseroles were made by adults to hide food people didn’t like. She enjoyed cooking for her family and was a welcoming hostess. Evelyn was always there to support her children’s church, school, and music activities. She prayed faithfully for her extended family and was an anchor of faith and care for many.