Mary Jean (Johnson) HAYDEN

JOHNSON, HAYDEN, MUNNS

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 6/22/2016 at 14:49:49

March 19, 1935 --– May 27, 2016

Tucson, AZ — Mary Jean Johnson Hayden was born on March 19th, 1935, to Hugo C. and Nadine Munns Johnson at Long Pine, NE. She died on May 27th, 2016, in Tucson, AZ. The family moved to Norfolk, NE in 1937. She graduated from Norfolk Senior High School with honors and also with honors from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE, in 1959. She received her Master's Degree in Community Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1983. On September 5, 1959, she married J. Gary Hayden at Norfolk. They were parents of three sons: Jay, John, and Joe. They lived in Villisca, Exira, Oskaloosa, Eagle Grove, Humboldt, and Sioux Center, all in Iowa, and in Cottage Grove, Sandstone, and Le Sueur, MN, before moving to Tucson, AZ, in 2002. Mrs. Hayden was a reporter, columnist and editor for the Norfolk (NE) Daily News, the Lincoln Journal (NE), The Washington County Bulletin in Cottage Grove, MN, and the St. Peter Herald, MN.

She won numerous state and national awards for her reporting and column writing. She also was a high school and junior high school teacher in Iowa; a consultant in and director of Community Education in Minnesota and Iowa and a professional fund raiser for Macalester College. She also authored a number of books. She was a great believer in "live and let live" as well as "this too shall pass" and tried to help her children and grandchildren understand those philosophies. She saw the ridiculous and humorous side of most of life's foibles yet felt the tenderness of moments and anger when people were mistreated. Mary took things "with a Grain of Salt", which was the title of her newspaper columns. She thoroughly enjoyed flowers, decorating her homes, playing bridge, reading, playing the piano, and painting. Mary was an excellent chef and published a cookbook. She enjoyed being a story teller, and was amazing when working with art and decorating as she was truly was an artist in many areas. She was a member of the United Methodist Church and numerous honorary fraternities. She was named Mrs. Jaycees Woman of the Year in Minnesota in 1979.

Survivors include her husband, Dr. J. Gary Hayden; three sons: Jay of Santa Fe, NM., John, of Asheville, NC., and Joseph of Tucson, AZ.; two grandsons, Ryan Hayden of Tampa, FL., and Forrest Hayden of Marble Hill, MO.; two granddaughters: Megan Hayden of Albuquerque, NM., and Emily Hayden of Marble Hill, MO.; one brother, Brian Michael Johnson and his wife, Vicky of Lexington, KY; 15 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, one sister and two brothers. The body was cremated. The family prefers memorial gifts donated to Nebraska Wesleyan University, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America or the American Cancer Society.

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[teacher and librarian at Goldfield from 1965-1969]