Carol Ann (Terry) Hansen

Carol Ann (Terry) Hansen, 92, of West Columbia, South Carolina passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at home after cardiac-related health issues. She was born during the Great Depression on November 9, 1933, in New Bedford, MA, the daughter of Bradford Terry Sr. and Doris Caswell Terry. Her family moved across the Acushnet River to Fairhaven where Carol completed her primary and secondary education, graduating from Fairhaven High School, the “Castle on the Hill”, in 1951. With aspirations for a career in the retail clothing business, Carol earned a degree in fashion merchandising at the Chamberlain School of Retailing in Boston. After graduation, Carol worked as a fashion buyer at R.H. Whites Department Store where she met her first husband, Arnold Zellman. After marrying, the couple relocated with each new career promotion to Springfield, OH where their three daughters, Bonnie, Kim and Deborah were born; followed by a move to Waterloo, IA, then Westfield, NJ and finally Greenville, SC. In Greenville, Carol began a long career as owner of Indigo Titles working with the various real estate attorneys. With a keen eye for detail, she enjoyed combing the plat books at the Registry of Deeds.

As with anything in life, there is a season and Carol remarried, to an old friend, Norman Hansen, with whom she became reacquainted at their forty-fifth high school reunion. She moved to Indianapolis where life in the Midwest was complete with her weekly bridge games and dance classes with “The Girls”. Carol’s love for card games was ever apparent when she visited her eldest daughter Bonnie and her young grandsons, Sam and Ben in Maine. She was always up for a game with the grandkids and seemed to time her visits to correspond with the weekly bridge game at the Lincoln Home. Carol was a competitive bridge player who also enjoyed a friendly game of poker and billiards. An ever-enduring passion had always been Carol’s love of the Arts, especially music and dance. She most enjoyed Classical/Chamber and the lively beat of Jazz. Over the decades, Carol was a member of various choirs at her synagogue, the Lexington Choral Society, and the Sweet Adelines choral group in Indianapolis, traveling to New York for competitions. Her home was always filled with music as she could be seen jitterbugging across the kitchen floor or waltzing along in her garden, because music spoke to her. While her children were studying their times tables, Carol was learning tap-dancing and practicing on the kitchen linoleum floor! In summers starting in 2000, Carol traveled to Newcastle, Maine to escape the heat of South Carolina. She was a frequent attendee on a Sunday afternoon at Schooner Landing, listening to a local band and cutting a rug! Carol had a joie de vive; a joy for living, a talent for always being present and for savoring every special moment.

After becoming a widow, Carol moved to Columbia, SC near her daughter, Kim, where she sang with a folk band that performed weekly at various local nursing homes bringing joy to the residents with music therapy. She cherished her season subscription to the USC Philharmonic and attended Broadway-in-Columbia musical performances. She became an active member of the Tree of Life Congregation and enjoyed singing in the choir.

Living in West Columbia, SC, gave her opportunities to share in Kim’s family events; such as her granddaughter Shayna’s dance recitals, soccer games and her grandson Daniel’s soccer, football games, and wrestling matches. Being present in her family’s life and those of her grandchildren were paramount to Carol. She attended every graduation from eighth grade, high school and college. Band concerts, soccer games, wrestling matches and hockey games; any opportunity to share in her grandchildren’s joy and passions. Milestone events were numerous, namely her grandchildren’s bar and bat mitzvahs along with grandson Daniel’s wedding.

International travel became a mainstay in Carol’s life with an annual trip to another corner of the globe: a Danube River cruise, Alaska Glacial Bay cruise, trips to Spain and Morocco, the Bahamas and Italy with daughter Deborah; Scotland, England, and the Azores plus the Canyons of Utah and Arizonia with her dear friend, Clement Greene.

Carol was passionate about her rich Terry family heritage. As a Descendant of the Whaling Masters, her antecedent, Phineas Terry was the captain of the whaling ship The Ahab. She was actively involved and a faithful supporter of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Her family arrived on these shores as whalers from York, England searching for religious freedom, and served as minutemen in the Revolutionary War. In England, the Terrys were also chocolatiers and are still making the famous Terry’s chocolates today.

When asked what her secret to longevity might be, Carol would always respond, “Keep moving!” She believed in the importance of exercising your brain and your body by doing something that you enjoy, always remember to have fun and to laugh often, and to forgive yourself when you make a mistake. Great advice from a great lady!

Carol is survived by her children: Bonnie Zellman Stone (Gary Stone) of Newcastle, Maine; Kim Zellman Bannister (David Bannister) of Lexington, SC; and Deborah Zellman Ferris (Chad Ferris) of Mt. Pleasant, SC. Grandchildren: Samuel Stone of Fairbanks, Alaska; Shayna Bannister of Crested Butte, CO; Benjamin K. Stone, MD of Chicago, IL; Daniel Bannister (Elena) of Annapolis, MD, and Hannah Ferris of Simpsonville, SC; Great Granddaughter Blake Elizabeth Bannister of Annapolis, MD; nephew Peter Shaw and niece Cordelia Shaw-Savala, both of Atlanta GA; and first cousin Margie Terry of Connecticut. She is predeceased by her parents, brother Bradford C. Terry, Jr and sister Constance Shaw.

A graveside service for Mrs. Hansen will be held at 11 o’clock, Friday, April 10th at Riverside Cemetery, 274 Main Street, Fairhaven, Massachusetts 02719 with Rabbi Sarah Mack officiating. Aubertine-Lopes Funeral Home in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is assisting the family.

A memorial service for Mrs. Hansen will be held at 4 o’clock, Sunday, April 12th at Tree of Life Congregation, 6719 N Trenholm Rd, Columbia, SC 29206 with Rabbi Erik Uriarte officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the charity of their choice.