Hays, Harold George (1924-2011)
HAYS, ROSSITER, KYLEN, ROLL, HEMMYE, PALMER, SOUTHARD, LEAVITT, WILSON, QUALLEY
Posted By: Paul Nagy, volunteer (email)
Date: 5/15/2011 at 16:27:46
Harold George Hays
July 23, 1924 - April 10, 2011THOMPSON- Harold G. Hays, age 86, formerly of Thompson, presently residing at Forest Plaza in Forest City, died Sunday, April 10, 2011, at Valley View Nursing and Rehab Center in Eldora, Iowa, with his family surrounding him.
Harold George Hays, the son of George and Mae (Rossiter) Hays, was born July 23, 1924, on a farm near Scarville, Iowa. At about the age of three, Harold and his family relocated to their home southwest of Thompson. He attended rural school in King Township and graduated from Thompson High School. He married Phyllis Kylen on October 11, 1958.
Over his lifetime, Harold was an active member of the United Methodist Church and Bethany Lutheran Church in Thompson and the Springs of Life (formerly the Highway Chapel) in Forest City. Among Church ministries, he served on boards, taught Sunday School, and was an usher/greeter. Devoted to his Lord and Savior, Harold cared for people very much and often prayed and shared one of his favorite Bible verses with them, "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). For many years, he and Phyllis sponsored several children from Taiwan and Japan through the Christian Children's Fund (currently Childfund International). A member of the Gideons International for several years and an active participant in the local Forest City Gideon "camp," Harold distributed many copies of the New Testament purchased by the Gideon organization to schools and jails. He also was active in the jail ministry for the Gideons. He represented the Gideons in Winnebago County churches by sharing the Gideon message: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Harold loved nature and the outdoors. He was a crop and livestock farmer and assistant to the county surveyor (Laurence Kroeze). He enjoyed bird watching, identifying trees, gardening and sharing his fresh produce, raising specialty chickens and rare domestic mulefoot hogs, reading about world events, history, and geography, and spending time with his family including his pet dogs. He also enjoyed music and listening to Phyllis play the organ in their home. Harold had a sense of humor, spontaneously telling jokes and humorous stories.
Harold is survived by his wife of fifty-two years, Phyllis Hays; his four children: Jona Hays (Rickie), of Hudson, Wisconsin, Anita Hays (Seymour), of Des Moines, Iowa, Tim (Jamie) Hays, of Faribault, Minnesota, and Polly (Jeff) Roll, of Eldora, Iowa; eight grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and four sisters: Dorothy Hemmye; Betty Palmer, Helen Southard (Ed), and Leone Leavitt (Glen).
Harold was preceded in death by his parents; an infant daughter, Sheila Paulete; three brothers-in-law: Bill Wilson; Jerry Palmer and Robert Hemmye; and one son-in-law: Bruce Qualley.
Funeral service will be at 1:30 PM on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home, 505 N. Clark Street, Forest City. Burial will be at Rose Hill Cemetery in Thompson.
Visitation will held on Saturday, April 16, 2011, from 12:30 PM until the time of the service at the funeral home.
Copyright © 2011, Petersen Lund Funeral Home
Winnebago Obituaries maintained by Cheryl Siebrass.
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