Jimmie Ann Hays

Mrs. Hays was born on October 9, 1938, to Jim and Lanne Hopper in the Central Texas town of Eola, Texas. She and her family lived in Eola during her early childhood. They moved to El Paso for better employment opportunities and to improve Jimmie Ann’s health.

In the years to come, in her new hometown of Ysleta, Mrs. Hays attended Cadwallader Elementary and Ysleta High School. It was at Ysleta High School where her best friend Lucy Hays introduced Jimmie Ann to her brother Sam Hays, who would become the love of her life. She and Sam were married December 3, 1955, and were best friends for 67 years until his passing in October of 2021.

Mrs. Hays loved her high school at Ysleta, and she reflected often on how wonderful life was in Ysleta. One of her favorite sayings was, “Once an Indian, Always an Indian.”

It was during her years at Ysleta High school that she developed a love for teaching and made up her mind at an early age that she would be a teacher someday.

As a young mother of 2, Mrs. Hays was hired as a teacher at Ysleta ISD. Her dreams of starting a family and becoming a teacher were happening very quickly. She was attending college at UTEP, while raising 2 children and teaching full-time. It was an awesome responsibility that she truly loved. She would complete her teaching career after 47 years as a teacher in both the Ysleta and Tornillo school districts.

Besides Mrs. Hays’ impressive career as a public-school teacher, she always cherished her roles first and foremost as a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her role as a grandmother was one of her favorite things in life and she always will remain Mamaw to her grandchildren.

Mrs. Hays was preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Lanne Hopper, her brothers Lee Crawford Hopper, Charles Raymond Hopper, and her sister Alvina Jane Whitten. She was most recently preceded by death by her husband Sam Hays who she missed everyday and was looking forward to seeing him again in heaven.

Mrs. Hays is survived by her children Sam Hays and his wife Judy of Algodones, New Mexico and Wendy Pendell and her husband Jim Pendell of Clint, Texas. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren and 3.5 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Hays’ services are being handled by Martin Funeral Home East at 1460 George Dieter Dr., El Paso, Texas. The visitation will be held on March 23 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The funeral services will be a graveside service at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery beginning at 9 a.m. Monday March 24, 2025.