Wanda Joy Hayes' Obituary
Wanda Joy (Whiteley) HayesWanda Joy (Whiteley) Hayes passed peacefully from this life into the next on Tuesday June 10, 2014. She was born in Purdy, Arkansas July 29, 1925. She was the last child in a family of 11 children, and grew up on a farm owned by her parents, Jesse Alonzo Whiteley and Eva (Barnes) Whiteley in Catoosa, Ok. She graduated from Catoosa High School in May of 1940. She worked for the telephone company in Tulsa for one year starting in January, 1943 until January 1944. She moved to San Francisco in January of 1944 to be near her sister, Stell, who was serving in the U.S. Navy as a WAVE. While there, she went to work for the War Department Attorney Generals’ Office inventorying secret documents. In Aug. of 1944she transferred to Groton, Connecticut to go to work for the Navy at the U.S. Submarine Base as a Teletype operator. Along with many others, after the war she was awarded a special citation for her dedicated and loyal service to the U.S. Government during war time by President Harry S. Truman. It was in Groton, Connecticut that she met the love of her life, Louis I. Hayes, who was serving on submarine duty as a Chief Pharmacist Mate. They married Feb. 17, 1945 and were together for 53 years until he passed away on July 13, 1998. After the war they started a family and eventually had 7 children together. In 1960 Joy went to work for Western Union Telegraph Company in Tulsa, Okla. And held that job until she retired in 1985 from the W.U. Central Telephone Bureau in St. Louis, Mo. She and “Doc” moved back to Tulsa and had many years of retirement together, enjoying their children and grandchildren. She spent the last 4 & ½ years of her life with her daughter in Houston, Tx. She leaves to cherish her memory her children: Ursula Anne (Hayes) Baxter (Larry), Patty (Hayes) Comstock (Dan), Jerry Hayes (Debbie), Mary Anne Hayes, Dr. Jonathan Robert Hayes (Melissa), Thomas Joseph Hayes (Elaine), Michael Shawn Hayes (Susan) and her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She had a loving relationship with all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She had a deep and abiding love for her Catholic faith and experienced profound spiritual growth in her older years, especially in graciousness, humility and gratitude. We love you and will miss you, Mom, but we know you’re in a better place. Don’t go around heaven trying to turn out all the lights, Mom. (“In my Fathers’ house there are many rooms”). They don’t allow that up there !Rosary at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, June 17th followed by visitation 5:00 to 7:00pm at Floral Haven Funeral Home.Mass of Christian Burial, 10:00am, Wednesday, June 18th , at the Church of the Resurrection Catholic Church.
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