Lena Loter Hays

Lena Loter Hays was born March 17, 1909 in Collingsworth county, the third of six children of James W. Loter and Gertrude Dysart Loter. She left us peacefully on the morning of May 7, 2006 at the age of 97. After graduation from Wellington High School in 1927 she received a two-year degree from the Christian College in Cordell, OK and returned home to begin her teaching career at the Cottonwood School. The other teacher was a young man from East Texas named A. Z. Hays and before the school year was over they were married Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a marriage that lacked one month and 1 day reaching 70 years. Their teaching careers took them to several towns in west Texas, four years of which were in Spur. During this time both Lena and A. Z. acquired Bachelor and Master's degrees from Texas Tech in Lubbock. In 1948 they left public school teaching to become professors at Abilene Christian College where they retired after 30 years. They enjoyed hunting and fishing. After retirement they spent many years traveling with the Airstream Club. Lena was an accomplished seamstress. In 1992 A.Z. and Lena moved to Hide-a-way Lake where she continued to live after A.Z. preceded her in death in 2000. Lena was a member of the West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler and attended every Sunday until January when she took pneumonia. Graveside services and burial will take place Wednesday at 3:00 P.M. at the Greenhill Cemetery, northeast of Mt. Pleasant with Weldon Miller officiating. Lena is survived by her son, Galen Hays, and his wife Pam of Tyler, daughter, Carolyn Hays, of Carrollton, Texas, granddaughter, Sharon Wiita and husband Gary of McKinney and their four daughters, Hannah, Sarah, Halle and Mille. Grandsons, Mark Hays and wife Janice of Austin, David Hays of Tyler and Ron Owens of Dallas. Lena is also survived by her sister, Margaret Harper, of Oklahoma City, OK, three sisters-in-law and several loving cousins, nieces and nephews. The family requests that memorials be made to the Greenhill Cemetery Association, PO Box 1388, Tyler, TX, the Lena Hays Scholarship Fund, ACU, Abilene, TX 79699 or the charity of choice.

Lena Loter Hays

March 17, 2009 - May 7, 2006