Dorothy Ann "D.A." Granholm Hankins

Dorothy Ann Granholm Hankins entered eternal life with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the early hours of April 25, 2026, at the Army Residence Community in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 95. She died peacefully, surrounded by her children. She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and aunt. Friends and caretakers often spoke of her sweet spirit.

Dorothy Ann Granholm (D.A.) was born in the Territory of Hawaii (at Schofield Barracks) on November 29, 1930, to 1st Lt. Frederick Andrew Granholm and Dorothy Adele Bernhard Granholm. She and her sister Fredlynne “Lynne” saw the world during her father’s Army career which included postings at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (twice); Ft. Sill, Oklahoma; Ft. Ethan Allen, Vermont; Memphis, Tennessee, San Antonio, Texas; Yokohama, Japan; and more. She graduated from Yokohama High School in 1948 and attended Stephens College in Missouri and Guilford College in North Carolina.

On August 5, 1950, she married her “match made in heaven,” 1st Lt. William Brevard “Hank” Hankins, Jr., at the Ft. Bragg Chapel (North Carolina) and traded life as an Army daughter for life as an Army wife. Together they raised four children: daughters Andy and Lissa and sons Brev and Matt. Their many assignments included Ft. Benning, Georgia, Troy, New York, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, Washington, DC, Ft. Shafter, Hawaii, Heidelberg, Germany, Ft. Monroe, Virginia, and Stuttgart, Germany.

A devoted wife and mother, D.A. used whatever was at hand to make her home the heart of family life—nurturing, comfortable, and beautiful. During the Hawaii years she reclaimed her love of painting, and she and Hank enjoyed the occasional idyllic afternoon on the beach while she painted and he strolled. They also shared a passion for travel. Every change of station was preceded by a thorough travel itinerary between locations. Assignments in Heidelberg and Stuttgart provided opportunities for frequent excursions as she took in the beauty of European landscapes, churches, and art galleries.

After Hank’s military retirement, they settled in Northern Virginia for 5 years and then moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, where they lived for 28 years. In Williamsburg, D.A. reveled in making her first permanent home, raising her youngest child Lissa, and becoming a grandma. She took art classes at The College of William and Mary, honed her photography skills, and lived out her Christian faith by helping to establish the Kingsmill Chapel, their cherished neighborhood faith community. Later D.A. joined Hank in his enthusiasm for genealogy, which prompted many trips throughout the mid-Atlantic, South, and West in search of ancestors.

In 2008, D.A. and Hank embraced life at the Army Residence Community in San Antonio, TX, and the camaraderie, patriotic spirit, and Texas heat. The move also gave D.A. a chance to live near her sister Lynne Puett and extended family.

D.A. was a devoted grandmother, setting aside her own activities whenever grandchildren visited for fun-filled excursions. She and Hank enjoyed taking them to Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, and Virginia Beach. She also visited her children and grandchildren as often as she could to be there for holidays and important family events like births and birthdays, baptisms, recitals, graduations, and weddings.

Dorothy is survived by her daughters Andrea Schellman (Jim), of Arlington, VA, and Elisabeth Dillon (Ed), of Wake Forest, NC; and her son Matthew Hankins (Judy) of Temple, TX; grandchildren Benjamin Schellman, Elisabeth Dablow, Katharine Paljug, Eleanor Hankins, William Hankins, Cara Cannell, Arianna Tran, Shannon Grimes, Tim Dillon, David Dillon, Luke Dillon, Kate Dillon, and her former daughter-in-law Patricia Hankins, as well as 15 great-grandchildren, and three nephews—Joe, Rick and Steve Puett. She is predeceased by her husband William B. “Hank” Hankins, her son William B. “Brev” Hankins, III, her granddaughter Anastasia Hankins, and her sister Lynne Puett.

A memorial Service for Dorothy (D.A.), officiated by Chaplain Bob Hester, will be held at 10 am, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Cheever Chapel (Army Residence Community), 7400 Crestway Rd, San Antonio, TX 78239. She will be interred at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery with her husband.