Hanna Joy Besser

Hanna Joy Besser
1983-2020

Hanna Joy Besser, 37, passed away peacefully at her home in Hermitage, Tennessee, on November 19, 2020, after a short battle with metastatic breast cancer.

Hanna was a devoted follower of Jesus, and her love for the Lord influenced everything she did. She knew how to love people well, and she was a light and an inspiration to many. Hanna loved music and dancing and would often burst into spontaneous song or compose a funny parody on the spot. If you were with Hanna, you were going to laugh. She had an endless arsenal of puns and jokes for any occasion. She wrote thoughtful letters and bought gifts ideally suited to each recipient. Hanna was a great listener and fully present. She helped each person she befriended feel heard and seen. Hanna Joy was a beautiful person inside and out and a beloved friend to many.

Hanna, who spent the better part of her life explaining to all she encountered that her name was pronounced with the “ahh” sounds found in “ha-ha” and not the short “a” sounds of “banana” and “Savannah”, was born on August 30th, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York, to Steven Jeffrey Besser and Dvora Lee Gehring. She attended Trinity High School in Morgantown, West Virginia, graduated from First Assembly Christian School in Concord, North Carolina, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She traveled to Kenya on a mission trip with Teen Mania Ministries. As an adult, she became involved in organizing and producing nationwide events for Acquire the Fire, Women of Faith, the Nashville music industry, and most recently Snapshot Interactive, where she held the role of Senior Producer.

She is survived by her father and step-mother Steven and Janice Besser of Morgantown, West Virginia; mother and step-father, Dvora and Ted Gehring of Indian Trail, North Carolina; brother and sister-in-law, Thomas and Christine Besser, and three nieces, Jocelyn, Shannon, and Verity Besser of Pasadena, Texas; step-brother Grant Gehring and nephew Jordan Gehring of San Antonio, Texas.

She is predeceased by grandparents Harold and Beverly Besser of Coney Island, New York, and Thomas and Dorothy Colebourn of Chicago, Illinois.

Per Hanna’s request, memorial donations may be made to the Nashville Life Church building fund and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Please visit Hanna's tribute wall and leave a memory with the family.