 On the morning of December 31, a memorial service was held at Centenary United Methodist Church in her honor.Thomas S. Kenan III, the trustee and founder of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts described Hanes as "one of a kind" and "irreplaceable".After her death, an honor called the Helen C. Hanes Friend of Education Award was created, and is bestowed to individuals who have contributed to the field of education in an important way.