Bette Sikes Obituary

Sikes, Bette H.

Bette Hanna Sikes, born on Dec. 1, 1928 near Raphine, Va., died of natural causes at home in Chicago on Nov. 13, 2024. A graduate of The College of Wooster, she began her editorial career with the Journals Division of University Chicago Press. In the mid-1960s she became Director of Publications for the American Bar Foundation and was Managing Editor of ABF Research Journal, later renamed Law & Social Inquiry. She also taught evening courses in manuscript editing. After leaving the ABF staff 1990, she served as Production Editor for Law & Society Review while continuing to edit articles for LSI before retiring in 1999.

In 1956 Bette married George Sikes. They worked together for racial and other forms of social justice, were active in their church, and shared a love of camping and backpacking. They divorced in the late 1970s.

Bette appeared in many productions of Hyde Park's Gilbert & Sullivan Society during the 1960s. She was a stalwart of the adult choir of First Unitarian Church of Chicago through the late 1970s, and held countless church positions throughout her adult life including trustee, treasurer, and president. She and Joan Pederson often served as delegates to denominational meetings. They grew closer as travel to meetings led to travel for its own sake, began full-time life together in 1989, and married in 2014: the first year Illinois allowed.

Bette is survived by her spouse Joan Pederson and by nieces and nephews Jill, Lyle, Bill, Pat, Ed, Richard, and Liz Hanna; William Fichter; Natalie Lund; Marty, Suzun, Ellie, and Karen Almquist; and their families. She outlived her parents, Rev. C. Morton Hanna and Margaret Bell Hanna; her siblings and their spouses Rev. Charles (Phyllis) Hanna, Rev. Edwin (Arpiné) Hanna, and Margallen (Donn) Fichter; ex-husband Rev. George Sikes; nephew Phil Hanna; and niece-in-law Lisa Kidd Hanna. Her memorial service will be at 2 pm, Sun., Jan. 19, at First Unitarian Church of Chicago, 5650 S. Woodlawn Ave.

Sign Guest Book at legacy.suntimes.com