Anita Helene Hayes

Anita Helene Hayes, 102, of Springfield, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2024 in the same home she proudly occupied for 73 years. She was born on December 27, 1921 in Springfield to Uffie Wieties and Bertha Noll Wieties. Anita married Robert Hayes on August 30, 1942 in St. Charles, MO. He preceded her in death on April 13, 1996.

Mrs. Hayes is survived by her children: Sandra Nuding and Kathleen Hayes both of Rochester, and Nancy Drew, Therese (Dale) Phillips and Robert (Cheryl) Hayes all of Springfield, fourteen grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren. You read that correctly. She was preceded in death by her beloved granddaughter Sarah Hayes.

Anita Hayes was a proud Lanphier Lion, class of 1939. She loved reading, quilting, music, sports and theater, and won multiple awards for volunteerism and community service. Anita was a lifelong and loyal member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Springfield. After turning 75, she spent almost two decades as a classroom volunteer at Ball Charter School where she was known by all students and staff simply as Grandma.

Anita Hayes lived her life with an unmatched generosity of spirit. She was beloved by family and friends, in part, because of her extraordinary ability to make everyone around her feel special. Anita took a sincere interest in the people of all ages who crossed her path, rooting for all she knew and sincerely reveling in their successes.

She thrived while hosting her friends and family, making home-cooked meals well into her later years, and especially enjoyed socializing with guests on her screened-in porch. Her recipe for a long and healthy life was found in her close family, her love of people, the determination to stay active and social, eating her home-grown garden vegetables and annually canning homemade tomato cocktail, better known as liquid gold.

Anita Hayes lived 102 years of joy and fulfillment and she ran the race of life spectacularly, and all the way through the finish line. She is now in the Kingdom of God, where she wants to be. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.”

The family will greet friends from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 8, at Bisch and Son Funeral Home, 505 East Allen Street. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on June 9 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2477 West Washington Street in Springfield. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church and condolences may be left at www.bischandsonfuneralhome.com.