Tamera Lynn Bentley

Tamera Lynn Bentley, 62, of Boone, North Carolina, passed away on April 19, 2022, after living with cancer for two years. When she found peace from earthly concerns, she was surrounded by her family and she felt no pain.

Tammy, as she was known to everyone, was witty—she loved to make people laugh—and even in her final days she was telling stories, making jokes, and entertaining everyone who passed through her home. She rarely said no to a guest, inviting many to talk, laugh, and sometimes cry. She remained strong in her cancer years, as she had her whole life, and she never lost her sense of humor or her personality.

Tammy always worked to better herself. She understood the value of education, of equity, and of treating each other with empathy. Growing up poor, she enrolled and graduated from Caldwell Community College, earning her Associates degree as valedictorian of her class. She worked in Blowing Rock in real estate and property management for many years before joining the Planning and Inspection Department at Blowing Rock Town Hall. There, she quickly became an indispensable part of the Planning and Inspections team and a beloved figure in the town, where she couldn’t go down Main Street without saying hello to several folks and likely getting caught up in multiple, friendly conversations. She simply knew everyone, and everyone knew her.

She loved music, often playing an album so many times her family could hum every song in their sleep; she loved wallpaper, perhaps a little too much; she loved hunting for a good bargain, watching true crime shows, and learning about people and the world around her. She was a collector of people in need of protection. Many have benefited and thrived because of her kindness, her grace, and her charity. She was a surrogate mother for many, a defender in those in need of defending.

But all these things are only parts of who Tammy was. It is hard, if not impossible, to sum up a life in such a short space, but Tammy lived as a brilliant, stubborn, caring person, one who never shied away from helping someone in need and who could make most anyone smile and laugh. Her passing leaves a hole in her family and community that can never be filled but can serve as an inspiration to others to show what it means to live a good life.

She is survived by her husband, Stanley Hanna; her son, Lucas Church; her daughter, Meagan Schreiber; her sister, MaryAnne Perry, and brother-in-law, Michael Perry, and their son, Thomas Michael Perry; her daughter-in-law, Emily Kader; her granddaughter, Matilda Church; and many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Bentley, second husband, William Schreiber, and sister, Wanda Yount, as well as several aunts and uncles.

Instead of a traditional funeral, Tammy requested a celebration of life service, which will be held on May 27th at 2:30pm at the American Legion Hall in Blowing Rock. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Habitat for Humanity or the Blowing Rock Library in her name.