Florence Hayes

Florence "Betty" Curts Hayes, 93, died Tuesday, January 27, 2009, of an apparent heart attack in her apartment at The Waterford in Mansfield, Ohio. Born in a log cabin on August 13, 1915, in Frankfort, Indiana, she was the second of five daughters of Milo Lee and Flossie Elkins Blinn Curts. Betty's family soon moved to Bloomington where as a young woman she earned her baccalaureate from Indiana University in 1940 and married Ronald Hayes, moving with him to central New York State. Ron and Betty had four children in Sherrill, where Ron worked for Oneida Ltd. Silversmiths, and they lived a fulfilling life in a friendly and charming small city. Betty was a substitute teacher while her children were young and attended Syracuse University at night to finish her master's degree in education in 1961. Betty then began teaching sixth grade full time and advanced to become a reading specialist in the Vernon Verona Sherrill Central School System. Betty and Ron saw to it that all their children understood the value of education and completed their bachelor's degrees -- and beyond.

Ron and Betty were ardent fans of nature and often vacationed with the family in the Adirondacks where they bought a lakeside cottage on Big Moose Lake in 1973. Once Betty and Ron retired in 1977, they split their time between Big Moose during the warmer months and choice locations in the south for the winter. Big Moose became their home base and a source of lasting friendships, as well as a magnet for the family.

Betty was recognized for her accomplishments in crafts, sewing, quilting, and cultivating flowers. She was a long-time member of the Sherrill Garden Club and her orchids won blue ribbons at American Orchid Society shows in Florida. She used her craft and organizational talents to benefit the Big Moose Community Chapel by chairing the popular Annual Bazaar fundraiser for many years.

For the last four years, Betty has lived at The Waterford retirement community in Mansfield. Her fellow residents were very dear to her and helped to satisfy her very social nature. Her daughter Marsha and her family helped enrich her life and care for her needs; Julieanne visited almost every day to assist Betty. Until her last day, Betty remained a loving and vibrant woman. "Grandma Great's" memory will remain as a loving influence in the lives of her family.

Betty's four children and all their families are saddened by her loss, including daughter Marsha and husband Don Jaenke of Mansfield, their daughters Julianne Jaenke and Janet Nelson. Julianne's son Donnie. Janet's husband William Matthew Nelson and their three daughters, Sarah, Rachel and Audrey. Daughter Barbara Ann Howes of Dallas, TX and her two daughters, Alice Ann Bleeker, her son Lance Corporal Michael Lee, his new wife Karrah, and Alice's daughter Ashleigh. Ann's daughter Jennifer Jean Howes and her children Leith and Lea Anne Almatwaly of Aqaba, Jordan. Son Alan Hayes and his wife Susan Macnamara of Salt Lake City, UT. And Betty's son Walter Hayes of Annapolis, MD, his wife Anne, and their three children Ian, Matthew, and Mary Beth. Betty was preceded in death by her husband Ronald Edwin Hayes in July, 2004, her parents, and her sisters Lorraine, Carol, Martha, and Margaret.

Betty's family would like to thank Mid-Ohio Heart Clinic, especially Dr. Frederick Crall, Jr., and Dr. John Hughes, her primary care physician, who helped her carry on remarkably well despite her coronary artery disease. They would also like to thank the caring staff at The Waterford for making her stay so pleasant in Mansfield.

A memorial service will be held at The Waterford, 1296 Trimble Rd., 419-775-1013, on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.; the family will receive visitors starting at 1:00. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kingwood Center, 900 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, Ohio 44906 419-522-0211. Contributions in New York are encouraged to the Big Moose Ambulance Fund, Home Aide Service of the Central Adirondacks HASCA, and the Community Transportation Service CTS. Details for the New York charities are available at the link to the left.

The family is planning another memorial service at Big Moose this summer. Burial will then occur at Valley View Cemetery in Kenwood, NY.