Betty Jo (Hanna) Harper

Betty Jo (Hanna) Harper, beloved mother, grandmother, and cherished friend, passed on from this life on December 1, 2024, in Lynchburg, Virginia. Born on June 17, 1928, in Spring Hill, Tennessee, Betty Jo's life was a tapestry of love, compassion, and service, woven together through her dedication to education, community, and her faith.

Betty Jo was the daughter of Josephine Morris McDavid Hanna and Col. Charles Weess Hanna. As an Army daughter, Betty Jo lived in Georgia, Texas, the Philippine Islands, Maryland, and Lynchburg, Va. In her adult life, she lived in Washington, D.C., northern Virginia, and North Carolina before moving back to Lynchburg.

A proud alumna of E.C. Glass High School and Randolph-Macon Women’s College, Betty Jo first worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. After marrying her high school classmate, the Rev. Curtis P. Harper, Jr., Betty Jo served the Presbyterian Church faithfully as a deacon, elder, and life-long Sunday School teacher. Her life of Christian discipleship also led her to become a peacemaking enabler and to offer compassionate hospitality to refugees. As a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, she exemplified its spirit of sisterhood and service by empowering neighbors in the larger community wherever she lived. As a literacy tutor she helped individuals find their voice through the power of reading. She also offered her wisdom and support as a counselor at the Women’s Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After moving back to Lynchburg, Betty Jo shared her passion for art and culture by volunteering as a docent at the Maier Museum of Art. 

Betty Jo's legacy lives on through her family, including her son, the Reverend Mark Christopher Harper, his loving partner Sue Goodyear, and three adoring grandchildren—Christopher David Harper, Hanna Rose Harper, and Gabriel Joseph Harper and his fiancé Janeth Garcia. 

She is predeceased by her loving husband, Curtis Pollok Harper; her parents, Col. Charles Weess Hanna and Josephine Morris Hanna; her sister, Mary Beatrice McDavid Cary (Hugh); and her niece, Ann Cary Veldey.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Betty Jo Harper is being planned for later in the new year.

Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.