Hannah Kay Case
On Nov. 30, 2021, Dr. Hannah Kay Case died unexpectedly in Pittsburgh, at the age of 77.
A native of Washington Court House, Ohio, and proud member of the Class of 1962 at Washington High School, she graduated magna cum laude from Oberlin College as a Phi Beta Kappa scholar in 1966, and completed a doctorate in romance languages at Northwestern University in 1971.
Her dissertation focused on the works of author and playwright, Samuel Becket. From 1970 to 2004, she taught in the modern languages department at Slippery Rock University, earning the title Professor Emerita upon her retirement.During her career at SRU, Hannah led numerous study tours to Europe. She also spearheaded two Symposia on campus, “The Far-Reaching Effects of the French Revolution” in 1989, and “Columbus Rediscovered Quincentenary” in 1992.She was elected distinguished professor of humanities in 1973, and served as a member, and later a consultant for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council from 1991 to 2002.After retirement, Hannah remained active, first in Ohio, then in Texas, and finally back in Pennsylvania.Among other things, she sang in church choirs and choral societies, rang handbells, participated in retired teachers organizations, and gave lectures at senior centers on foreign travel as well as the language and history of France.In addition, she worked hard to maintain the myriad of relationships she had developed over a lifetime — folks as distant as “amis” in France, and as close as her former student and frequent companion, Elizabeth Dowell.For relaxation, she loved to work crosswords, play Scrabble, and watch reruns of her favorite TV shows, including “Perry Mason,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls.”Her proudest achievement though, was her role as wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt to a family of remarkable human beings.She leaves behind her first husband and longterm friend, Thomas Copeland; the families of her three children, Peter Copeland, Chester Zinni and Meredith Zinni; as well as her grandchildren, Hannah Marie Zinni and William (Billy) Wilson II.She was preceded in death by her father, Judge John Case; her mother, Althea Case; and her second husband, Chester Zinni Jr.Hannah was also very close to her younger sister, Nelly Case and her family, and kept in touch with a web of cousins and other relatives that stretched across the country.A lifelong Episcopalian, Hannah most recently attended the Church of the Epiphany in Grove City, where she played the organ to accompany the congregational singing.CASE — A memorial service for Dr. Hannah Kay Case, who died Nov. 30, 2021, will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, at All Saints Church, 733 State Route 41 S.W., Washington Courthouse, Ohio. All are welcome to come celebrate her life with her family.
