Elizabeth Coday Hanney

One frosty October evening, Ellie Hanney curled up with her mom, Katie, to watch “The Wizard of Oz.” Magical adventures of Dorothy transported the 7-year-old into a lollipop land without seizures and fevers. Songs from “Wicked” filled their van for the next few weeks, as Katie dreamed of taking her only daughter to see Elphaba defy gravity.

On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Elizabeth “Ellie” Coday Hanney, 7, of Columbia, Missouri, passed away surrounded by her loving family. “She is defying gravity now, flying high,” said Katie, a Columbia native.

Ellie was born in Columbia on the morning of December 8, 2014, two minutes before her brother, Henry. Katie and her husband, Jack Hanney, called them their “Twinkies.” Each always needed to know the other’s whereabouts. They made an indelible mark when they emerged from the all-too-quiet kitchen with permanent marker scribbles from head-to-toe. Had the twins’ older brother, Ben, witnessed the artistic expression, he may not have stopped it. In Ben’s eyes, the sun rose and set on Ellie, his “sweet pea.” After Ellie was diagnosed, at age 2, with a brain tumor, Ben, now 11, sought ways to comfort her. ​They snuggled after her hours-long surgeries, and he cheered her on as she relearned to speak, then walk, and later dance as a ballerina with DanceAbility.

“Ellie Bellie” was a daddy’s girl. Most weekends, you could find them snuggling in the family’s trusty brown chair. Jack and Ellie shared tickles, giggles, and mannerisms. She also had special bonds with her grandparents: Ellie and her Nana created a fairy garden that friends and family will help finish. Ellie read books and cooked with Granny, fed hummingbirds with Grandpa, and spent time with her Grandad, Judy, PawPaw, and Becky when they could visit.

When Ellie baked, it was for others. She made many treats for neighborhood dogs, cookies and cupcakes for anyone at home who would eat them, and for nurses, who often fought over taking care of the kind, cooperative patient.

Throughout her illness, Ellie never complained or asked “why me?” She shooed away those who tried to distract her when starting IVs or other pokes that could earn her a “poke present.” Instead, Ellie captured “observations” in an Ada Twist Scientist journal and worked tirelessly to do hard things like the leaders in her many books.

Ellie was also involved in her nightly care — changing her trach ties and G-tube button covers. She was determined to achieve independence, and she woke each morning with that same resolve as a student at Fairview Elementary School and during weekly therapies.

She was such a happy and silly girl, often talking in her own “blim, blam” language. She wanted to make sure the fun would last, and that everyone was in on the joke by continually saying, “Do it again!” and then rolling with laughter.

“I was always so concerned she would feel different, but she never did because everyone in her life treated her with such respect and care,” said Katie, a longtime educator. “Ellie never felt like an outcast among kids or adults. Her life was full of beautiful people and experiences.”

Ellie never questioned how much people loved her, and she valued her mother’s perspective on life and disease. “Given my own battle with cancer, I knew what every poke felt like. I knew when she felt crummy, I knew what that felt like. I could really empathize with her, and she knew that because I told her,” said Katie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. “Every day, we smother our kids with our love and tell them ‘I love you’ so many times. I never want them to question that, and it’s something I feel good about. I knew she never questioned it.”

When Ellie didn’t feel up to a challenge, therapy dogs could get her to cooperate. Animals — stuffed and otherwise — were central to Ellie’s healing. She had a weakness for funny videos of hedgehogs, pugs, and kittens. Her hospital bed was often towering with fanciful creatures, like her beloved pink bunny or family of Squishmallows.

Ellie is survived by her parents, Jack and Katie Hanney; big brother, Ben; twin brother, Henry; grandparents, Lynne and Bob Schwartze, Danae Roberts, Judy and Jere Hanney, and Becky and Paul Walling; uncles, Aaron (Michelle) Schwartze and Nate Schwartze; and cousins Nathan, Emma, and Keegan; as well as many other loving family, friends, and fur friends.

To those who wonder how her family can go on, Katie says: “I am going to cling to that quote from Dr. Seuss: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ And we are going to put one foot in front of another. Ellie was not one to sit and do nothing, so neither are we.”

A service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, November 14, 2022 at First Presbyterian Church, 16 Hitt Street, Columbia, Missouri. A Celebration of Life will be held from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, November 20, 2022 at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Ellie be made to her favorite place, the Daniel Boone Regional Library Foundation, to be used for the purchase of children's books and materials. Donations can also be made to the St. Louis Science Center or the Make-A-Wish Foundation at https://tinyurl.com/elliehanney