Marie Liles Hayden

Marie Liles Hayden was born January 26, 1915, on the family farm near Salado, Texas, to William Harry Liles and Truda Berta Barnes Liles. She died peacefully in her room at Arden Courts of Austin on Friday, November 4, 2011.

Marie was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Cecil Liles and Bill Liles, her sister Lela Glazener, her husband Nolen Hayden, and her son-in-law Bill Cloud. She is survived by her sisters Estelle Fisher of Houston, Polly Waterhouse of San Angelo and Zolly Jones of Temple, her daughter Gayle Cloud of Little Rock, Arkansas, her son Mike Hayden of Santa Fe, New Mexico, her granddaughters Morgyn Walston of Arkansas, and Laura Hayden of Austin, her grandson Dave Hayden of Portland, Oregon, four great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Marie married Nolen Hayden in Belton, Texas, in 1937. Together they spent 25 years in the restaurant business. They owned and managed the Hayden Cafe in Belton until 1950. There, virtually every serviceman headed to or from Camp Hood during WW II was their customer and many became lifelong friends. From 1951 to 1965 they owned and managed the U.S. Cafe in downtown Austin. Later, Marie retired from the City of Austin, where she was a dispatcher for the Water and Wastewater Department.

Marie never met a stranger, and she never forgot a friend. Well into her eighties she would walk up to someone and say "you and I were in elementary school together". And she was always correct! She loved to entertain and loved to dance. For many years she volunteered as a tour leader at the Austin Senior Center, and playing dominoes with "the neighborhood crew" was one of her favorite pastimes. She was a member of Tarrytown United Methodist Church, where she particularly enjoyed participating in missionary and fellowship activities.

One of Marie's greatest joys in retirement was babysitting. Ryan Weekley, Grace and Sofie Bonilla, Andy and Ellie Spears, Brett and Brooke Kaiser are only a few of the children she considered "hers".

The last few years of her life Marie struggled with dementia. The family is immensely grateful for the care she received at Brighton Gardens Assisted Living and most recently at Arden Courts Memory Care Community of Austin. We are especially thankful for Miss Odessa Rice, and Heart to Heart Hospice.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 25, 2011, in the chapel at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home on North Lamar.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Marie's name to the Capital of Texas Alzheimer's Association, the Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation, or a charity of your choice.