Hanna Hoke Tacker

Hanna Hoke Tacker – beloved wife, mother extraordinaire to five bright and beautiful children, doting grandmother, and dear friend to so many, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on Sunday afternoon, March 1, 2015. She was a still young 68, as passionate about life and love and family and the world around her as ever. It is absolutely numbing for one who burned so bright in our lives to be extinguished so suddenly. We will all miss her unbelievably. Hanna was born in Gastonia, NC – the daughter of C.L. and Rachel Hoke – and remained a North Carolinian through and through. She was an incredibly devoted and knowledgeable North Carolina Tar Heel basketball fan. She was a tireless advocate of public education, including serving five terms as President of the PTA at Northwest Guilford. She was a talented and accomplished pianist; a veracious reader, especially of biographies and American and European history; and a fan of all things Central European, including the Bayern Munich Futbol club and her beloved Stresa, Italy. Hanna leaves behind her devoted husband, Ben Tacker; those five bright and beautiful children: Allison Turner of Conover, NC; Emily Oldenburg of Asheville, NC; Mallory Tacker Stone of Atlanta, GA; Amanda Tacker of Chicago, IL; and Ben Tacker III of Chicago; two sons-in-law: Eric Oldenburg of Asheville and Parks Stone of Atlanta; three grandchildren: Madeleine Rose Oldenburg and Luke Anthony Oldenburg of Asheville and Thomas Parks Stone of Atlanta; her sister and brother-in law, Kathy Hoke Smith and Pat Smith of Conover, NC; her former husband, John Turner, of Greensboro, NC; seemingly thousands of cousins; and friends across the country and around the globe. She felt so blessed to have all of us, and we felt so blessed to have her. She loved hard and was fiercely loyal, and she leaves us all with so many warm and beautiful memories. We basked in her love, and she in ours, and we'll continue to do so forever. A Celebration of Hanna's Life will be held on Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 noon at the OM Sanctuary, 87 Richmond Hill Drive in Asheville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Hanna's honor may be sent to the Dean E. Smith Opening Doors Fund (giving.unc.edu/smith-fund). Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.