Norma Elaine Bankey

Elaine Bankey



(Norma Elaine Bankey)



Elaine was called home to heaven on January 2, 2016 by her Lord. She was born on December 15, 1947 in Bryan, Texas to David B. and LaRue Cloyce (Durham) Thomas, Sr. She grew up as an “Air Force brat”, living in a number of states and countries. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany.



She married her husband, Dan, on June 3, 1967 and they celebrated 48 great years of marriage. They met and married in Bellevue and came back home here after a 20-year Air Force experience. They enjoyed a long a fun marriage adventure.



Elaine fought a courageous battle against myelofibrosis, greatly exceeding the life expectancy for someone with that disease—rarely allowing it to keep her from engaging with her grandchildren and working with her TeamMates mentees. She was the Board President of the Bellevue TeamMates Program and mentored as many as 10 mentees simultaneously in Bellevue and surrounding community schools. She was named Midlands Foundation Volunteer of the Year for her efforts in 2012. She was also passionate about the lives of cats and dogs and spent a number of years trying to save and socialize feral cats in the area. Additionally, she and her husband sponsored 15 international students through a national foreign exchange program and gave them each an adventure-filled taste of living in the USA for a year.



Elaine was preceded in leaving us by her father and mother and also by her brother, Paul and her sister, Page. She leaves behind her husband; daughter, Lori Ballinger; son, Tim Bankey; 7 grandchildren; 1 great grandchild; Baruch Gilmore, her legal ward. Additionally, one of the foreign exchange students, Eva Dean, became a U.S. citizen and she, her husband, Jeremy and their 3 children are also a part of her family.



Memorial Service Saturday 10:30AM at Avery Presbyterian Church 1910 Avery Rd E, Bellevue, NE. Memorials may be sent to Bellevue TeamMates, in care of Bellevue Public Schools.



Services:

Memorial Service Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 10:30AM at Avery Presbyterian Church 1910 Avery Rd E, Bellevue, Nebraska