Marla Braye Hayward

Marla Braye Hayward, age 68, a loving wife, mother, sister, and member of her cherished extended family as well as a loyal and caring friend to many, was suddenly and unexpectedly called home to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ early in the morning of Sunday, October 5, 2025. She passed at WellSpan York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, near her home in Red Lion, Pennsylvania.
Marla was born in Newark, New Jersey, on January 11, 1957, to her mother, Theresa Turner Braye (December 8, 1933–May 6, 1987), and her father, Adolphe Maurice Braye Sr. (September 14, 1931–May 28, 2006). After her earliest years in Newark as well as Goldston, North Carolina, she lived in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, where she graduated from Oscar Smith High School, Chesapeake, Virginia, in 1974.
She completed her higher education at Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University, where she proudly played shooting guard on the Lady Monarchs basketball team. Subsequently, Marla's career included fashion modeling, a sports marketing role for Old Dominion, and nine years of service in the University's human resources department.
In 1997 she moved to the Washington, DC area, where she worked as a legal secretary for several law firms including Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. It was in 1997 while she was living in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside of Washington, that she met her future husband, William Carroll Hayward (born 1963). They married in Las Vegas in July 1999. She soon became the immensely loving mother to their twin daughters, Camryn Theresa Hayward and Taylor Elizabeth Hayward, both born in 2002.
Marla's faith in the Lord was reflected in the love she showed through her actions-toward her husband, children, and cherished extended family, as well as in her uplifting spirit and acts of kindness toward countless friends and others she crossed paths with. Known for her quick wit and vibrant personality, she had a wide range of interests including Black American History, vintage films and television, poker, and sports. Not long after moving to Pennsylvania with her husband and children she became an especially passionate fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
In addition to her husband and children, Marla is survived by her brother, Adolphe M. Braye Jr., and sister-in-law, Sheila Merritt Braye of Chesapeake, Virginia; her sister, Sigrid Braye Thurston, of Hyattsville, Maryland; her nephews, Blake Braye, Jason Braye, and Michael Thurston, and her niece, Brianna Thurston; her grand-nephews and nieces; and numerous cousins in her extended Braye, Turner, and Emerson families. She will also be sorely missed by countless friends in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and elsewhere.
A viewing will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, from 12:00-1:00PM and funeral service at 1:00PM will be held at Beck Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Inc., 3670 E. Market St., York, PA 17402. A private interment will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Marla's name can be made to the American Gastroenterological Association Research Foundation (https://foundation.gastro.org).