Hilda Sue Hayes' Obituary
Hilda Sue Hayes, 84, began her celebration in the presence of her Lord on August 30, 2023. She was born on July 22, 1939 in Huntington, WV. She was the youngest child of Shirley Fern Dyer and John Fletcher Dyer and was preceded in death by her brothers, John Morgan Dyer and Austin Dyer, and her two sisters, Rosemary Chatterton and Shirley Nichols, all of whom she cherished. Hilda held dear the high school friendships she maintained until her passing. She worked hard to create a life she wanted for herself and the family she would share with her husband of 60 years. Hilda would, on occasion, offer a reminder that she was the marbles champion in junior high when she would knuckle down and shoot at the 5th Avenue YMCA. At 16, she was a server at an ice cream shop until she graduated from Huntington East High School in 1957. She then went to work at the now Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital, which was followed by a secretarial position at Colonial Motors where she was dismissed after hanging up on the owner. Finally, she was hired by Dr. Hans Dransfeld at Cabell Huntington Hospital, where she spent her first three years as his secretary. They would continue to work together for the next 30 years, where she efficiently ran the office with great pride as the business manager of Radiology, Inc. The physicians and staff with whom she was associated over her 30-year tenure were her second family. When asked about meeting her husband, she would tell how she first saw John driving a burgundy car while on a date at Chessie's Big Boy Drive-in in Chesapeake, Ohio. She told a mutual friend, "That's the man I want to marry," and she made sure she wasn't proven wrong. John and Hilda went to the movies on their first date, then married two years later. What followed can only be described as a most wondrous period of their lives when she gave birth to their first son, John William Hayes III. Four years later, David Dyer Hayes came into this world giving her the doctor she always wanted. She would often tell of how she had hoped for a daughter, and her wish came true when Jerycka Sue Hayes came into our lives. Hilda loved all her children with her whole heart. In retirement, Hilda remained active in the lives of her family, including her two granddaughters, Chloe Kim Ling Hayes and Ella Mei Ruo Hayes. Hilda and John provided daycare for Chloe and Ella until they were school age, a labor of love that she held dear. Hilda loved her Savior Jesus Christ and cared about the spiritual life of her family. In her latter years, her ministry was confined to the house where she read her Bible, prayed, and worshipped regularly with Dr. Charles Stanley. She sang "Mary, Did You Know?" with conviction in her waning days, filled her room with laughter, but she saved her biggest and brightest smile for her husband of 60 years when they said goodbye. Hilda is survived by her husband, John, her sons, John William and David, her daughter, Jerycka, her daughter-in-law, Angie, and her two granddaughters, Chloe and Ella. ln lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Hoops Family Children's Hospital by mailing memorial gifts to Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation, 1349 Hal Greer Blvd., Huntington, WV 25701. Please put her name in the memo line. Or, visit: https://mountainhealthfoundations.org/giving/memorial-gifts/A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday September 2, 2023 at Hall Funeral Home & Crematory in Proctorville, OH with Pastor Mark Fields officiating. Burial will follow at Rome Cemetery in Proctorville, OH. Visitation will be on Friday, September 1, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. also at the funeral home. Condolences may be expressed at www.ehallfuneralhome.com.
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