Reverend Margaret Rush Hankins

The Reverend Margaret Rush Hankins, beloved wife of Jim Hankins, passed away on April 12, 2018 after a lengthy and valiant battle with heart and pulmonary failure. She will always be remembered for her generous spirit, steadfast faith and courage in the face of injustice. Margaret was born on January 2, 1940, in Anniston, Alabama, the daughter of John and Salena Mathes House. She attended Munford High School in Munford, Alabama and Birmingham Southern College, where she graduated with honors and was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her Master’s in Religious Education at Duke University, and worked as a Christian educator in United Methodist churches in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. After her marriage to Julian Rush in 1965 and their move to Colorado in 1969, Margaret devoted herself to their two young sons, Jason and Joel, and a number of justice issues. She became involved in the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women in the church, speaking out about equal pay and the need for support of clergy wives. She also lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment, speaking to the legislature and traveling around the state, resulting in the successful effort to defeat the repeal of the ERA. Margaret became the first chair of the Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, bringing together a diverse alliance of religious organizations to support women’s rights to make their own decisions about family planning. Last year, she was the recipient of the Faith and Freedom Award from RCRC for her 40 years of advocacy on behalf of women’s rights, health and dignity. After earning her Master’s of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1979, Margaret became the 10th woman to be an ordained elder in the Rocky Mountain Conference of The United Methodist Church. She was appointed by the bishop to serve as council director and a district superintendent. She also pastored Lyons, Emmanuel, and Hope UMC, from which she retired in 2003. Her community involvements included membership in the International Women’s Forum and the Board of Directors of Centus Counseling Centers. Margaret’s first marriage ended in divorce in 1982, and she married Jim Hankins in 1993. Together, they pursued mission initiatives in Russia, Kenya, Myanmar and the Holy Land, including the founding of a United Methodist Church in Novgorad and the reconstruction of Bethany UMC in Pushkin, Russia, making it available for worship services for the first time. She and Jim were honored at the Samaritan Institute National Award Dinner in 2013 for their “significant contributions to the religious, charitable and political life of Colorado, as well as international mission work through The United Methodist Church”. Margaret is survived by her husband, Jim, sons Jason (Thao) and Joel (Yumishi) Rush, three grandchildren, step-children Eden, Justin, and Jared (Alison) Hankins, and six step-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Bill House, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, and an adopted grandson, Hai Anh Vo. Margaret Rush Hankins embodied qualities of warmth, grace, compassion and love, and her Christian faith was the foundation of her life. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew her. A service celebrating Margaret’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 29 at Hope United Methodist Church, 5101 S. Dayton St., Greenwood Village, CO 80111. This date was selected to accommodate the travel of her sons and their families who reside in Asia and were here with her recently. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hope United Methodist Church Endowment Fund at the above address; Centus Counseling Centers, 2696 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 380, Denver, CO 80222; or Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, P.O. Box 102464, Denver, CO 80250-2464.