Martha Hayes

1929 - 2014

Martha Hayes

Mt. Pleasant

Martha A. Hayes, 85, of Mt. Pleasant, died Fri., Dec. 5, 2014 at Park Place Elder Living.

Memorial services will be 11:00 AM, Fri., Jan. 9 at the First United Methodist Church, 309 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. The Rev. Deborah J. Stowers will officiate. Burial will be in Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant. The family will receive friends at a luncheon in the church Fellowship Hall immediately following the memorial service. The Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, is in charge of the arrangements.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family for a later named designation. On-line condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Martha was born in Mt. Pleasant on Oct. 31, 1929, the daughter of Columbus Ferrell and Beulah Agnes (nee Billingsley) Hayes She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1947, studied 2 years at Iowa Wesleyan College, and transferred to the University of Iowa, graduating in 1951.

She taught elementary school in Rockford IL (1951-1954), Torrance, California (1954-1958) and Racine, Wisconsin (1958-1962) before entering into the book publishing business, rising to an editor of elementary school books for Allyn & Bacon Publishing House in Boston. For 16 years, she was an Executive Editor for Harper & Rowe Publishing Company in Evanston, IL and then New York. She retired in 1986 and returned to Mount Pleasant.

Active in the Mt. Pleasant community and state of Iowa for the last 20+ years, her passion was the preservation of history while supporting development of the local communities. She was a founding member of the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance, now Preservation Iowa, serving on its board for the 21 years and its treasurer until 2010. She served as the institutional memory for many throughout the state, and especially in Mount Pleasant.

Survivors include her sister Carol of Corona CA; sister-in-law Cora Hayes of Des Moines; 9 nephews: Michael (Lorrie) Hayes of Des Moines, Andy (Isabelle) Hayes of Libertyville IL, John Hayes of Miami FL, Bill Hayes of Columbus, OH, Jeff (Beverly) Hayes of Vernon Hills IL, Steve Hayes of Torrance CA, Bob (Krista) Hayes of Redondo Beach CA, Dave Egli of Corona CA and Stuart Egli of ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Rancho Cucamonga CA, 2 nieces: Cathy Egli of San Francisco CA and Cris Hayes of Redondo Beach CA, and 2 Mt. Pleasant native cousins, Jo Ann (Hayes) Farrell of Austin TX and Jan (Hayes) Dougherty of Woodbury MN; 14 great-nephews &nieces, 10 great-great nephews & nieces, with 2 more in expectancy. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, Edward and Warren Hayes, and an uncle and aunt, Ernie and Ruth Hayes.