Florence Ann Hayden

Florence Ann Hayden went to be with her Saviour on March 25, 2024, at the age of 88. She was born September 7, 1935, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Lloyd and Alice Baker. She accepted Christ as her Savior as a young person. Florence Ann and Wendell were married on September 4, 1953, and God blessed them with three children—Stephen (with the Lord), Chris and Wendy.

The couple moved to Omaha where Wendell attended Omaha Baptist Bible Institute. After his Army service, they were accepted as missionaries with the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission. In July of 1963 Wendell, Florence and the children (then 8, 6 and 2 years of age), left their home in Des Moines to serve the Lord in Brazil.

For a little over 40 years, the family faithfully served God in their adopted land. Along with their ongoing involvement in planting churches, Wendell taught in the mission’s Bible Institute and Seminary and served in various field ministries. Much of Florence’s time was spent homeschooling their children while they were young, but God also provided many opportunities for her to serve in the church with children’s and women’s ministries.

Returning to the States in 2003, Florence and Wendell enjoyed their ministry with grade school children in a Child Evangelism Fellowship Good News Club. They were blessed to see some trust Christ as Savior and many saved children grow in the Lord.

In the summer of 2020, Florence Ann was diagnosed with melanoma cancer. The cancer eventually spread and she was hospitalized, then admitted to a rehab facility and then to a nursing home in January 2024. In the past few months, her health declined rapidly until God called her home on March 25th.

Florence Ann was preceded in death by her husband Wendell and son Stephen. She is survived by her son Chris Hayden of Scottsbluff, NE, daughter Wendy White of Blue Springs, MO; two brothers, Jim Baker of Des Moines, IA, and Mark (Sylvia) Baker of Brookings, OR, and sister, Dori Douglass of Des Moines, IA; grandchildren Katie, Devvin, Jackie, Caleb, Patric (Mykaela) and Shaina (Jon); and six great-grandchildren—Katie’s Jessy, Jozey and Jayden, and Patric’s Macy, Ellie, and their little brother, arriving soon.