Terry

Schedule of Events:

Rosary Vigil: Thursday September 7th at 6:30pm

Funeral Mass: Friday September 8th at 9:30am

Parking is strictly reserved for families of Mr. Hanley.  We encourage using public transportation.

Star of the Sea Church 4420 Geary Blvd. San Francisco CA 94118

Obituary from The Chronicle [link]

Jesus said to the eleven, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)

Terry is survived by his loving wife Sandra Carrillo, his daughter Kelly, his son Mike, daughter-in-law Allison, his grandson Emmett, and stepson Robert. He is also survived by his brother Kevin (Sue) Hanley, his sisters Maureen Malley, Ellen (Lou Lopez) Hanley, and Carol (Jeremy Butler) Hanley. He will be greatly missed by his niece Lauren Yarwood, his nephews Dan Hanley, Sean Malley, and Aiden Yarwood, his grand-nephews Jimmy Malley and Graham Hanley, and grand-niece Juniper Hanley. Affectionately remembered by his mother-in-law, sisters and brothers-in-law and their families, loving cousins, and numerous life long friends. His wife Denise, mother, father, and stepmother Doris predeceased him.
Terry was born in San Francisco to William and Kathleen Hanley. He grew up in The City, attending Holy Name Grammar School and Sacred Heart High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree and educational credential at the University of San Francisco and his master’s degree at San Francisco State University.
Terry was a life-long educator, teaching at Town School for Boys, St. Philip Grammar School, St. Veronica Grammar School, and Riordan High School. He served as Principal of St. Charles Grammar School, St. Emydius Grammar School and, for the past twelve years, Star of the Sea Grammar School.
Terry’s teaching and administrative career were driven by a personal philosophy towards education that was developed from his own personal educational experiences. He said that in his childhood he saw Holy Name as the school his parents sent him to simply because they were a “Catholic school family.” It wasn’t until years later that he could look back and begin to appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Sisters of Mercy and a few devoted lay teachers. He said that in retrospect, he saw that Holy Name had offered him a safe and secure education and treated him not as a “client” but as a unique child of God. He believed that the Sisters truly did educate the whole person, and provided him with a solid academic program as well as spiritual guidance.

At Sacred Heart High School he found that the Christian Brothers did the same, but also shared a sense of justice tempered with mercy. As a typical teenager, he occasionally found himself in situations that required teachers or administrators to discipline him. What made this work so well was that the consequences were always fair and based on his actions, not his personality. What he had done might have been a problem, but he was never treated as “a problem.” The fact that justice, Christian mercy, and a willingness to encourage reconciliation went hand in hand and allowed him to come through a difficult time in his life and be a more mature, responsible Christian.

The University of San Francisco was a simple choice for him. He was a hometown boy and a Catholic schoolboy. But USF was far more diverse and cosmopolitan than he had expected. It was there, under the Jesuits, that he really began to see a world beyond his neighborhood. He was exposed to people from different cultures and faiths. At the same time, he was strongly encouraged to put his own faith to practical use. Volunteering as a coach and working part time as a PE teacher opened a new world to him. Prior to that, he had considered teaching as a career option, but his experiences through USF solidified that into a lifelong commitment.

Terry was blessed to have worked in so many beautiful Catholic school communities; during the past 12 years at Star of the Sea School he truly lived out his vocation each day. He always joked that he was the envy of every principal in the Archdiocese because he was a member of family, not just the principal.

A vigil rosary service will be held at Star of the Sea Church, 4420 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA on Thursday, September 7th at 6:30 p.m. followed by a reception. A memorial mass will be held on Friday, September 8th at 9:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon also at Star of the Sea Church. In lieu of flowers the family request a donation be made in Terry’s name to Holy Name Elementary School, Sacred Heart High School, or the University of San Francisco.

From Fr. Joseph Illo

At 1:15am on September 5, our dear principal Terrence Hanley passed from time into eternity. I ask your prayers especially for our school children who must face death in all its terrifying suddenness and finality. Terry’s jovial ebullience will no longer reassure students and parents at morning assemblies; his beloved voice will no longer echo through the hallways nor his trademark Star sweatshirt appear in classroom doorways, encouraging students to persevere in their scholarship.

The last time many of us saw Terry was at Back to School Night on Thursday. Terry was speaking with his usual mix of humor and gravity, but his speech seemed labored. As Fr. John took the podium, Terry whispered to me “I feel really bad—need to get back home, so you close up please.” He was three days at the hospital, where he received all the sacraments of the Church to prepare him for God.

Tolerance and Love, one of Terry’s last words at Back to School Night made a deep impression on me. In our school, he said, we hope for more than “tolerance.” Tolerance is when you have to be nice to someone you can’t stand, or eat vegetables you find disgusting. We want to love each other, not merely tolerate each other. I think those courageous and loving words from a man who has given his entire adult life to Catholic education sum up his vocation. No matter how mischievous or difficult a student was, Terry loved them all. A student who had broken some rule or perhaps bullied another would be called into Terry’s office. Terry had a gift for correcting that student with firmness but also gentle humor, so that the student would want to be good after his interview with Mr. Hanley. Terry didn’t just “tolerate” those he found difficult or “manage” human situations; he made daily and at times heroic efforts to love everyone. It was his gift from God, and he exercised that gift. May we imitate his virtue, finding a way to love everyone, especially those we are tempted to merely tolerate. May some of Terry’s spirit remain with all of us at Star of the Sea.