Obituary of Lois Hayes

Lois Teague Hayes, age 81, of Blairmont Drive in Boone, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, September 14, 2016. She was born on December 9, 1934 in Watauga County, the daughter of Bynum and Bina Teague. She was married fifty-four years to her husband, Raymond Hayes, until his death in 2006. Having a lifelong love of learning, she received her BS and MA degrees from Appalachian State University and pursued advanced studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as at other universities around the country. During her career she taught early elementary education in Caldwell and Watauga Counties. She taught at Wingate College for several years and then became a Reading and English teacher at Sun Valley High School in Monroe while also teaching night classes at Central Piedmont Community College. Lois loved children and young people, helping them in their learning process and always encouraging them to reach their highest potential. She and her husband both retired in 1993 and moved back to their hometown of Boone where they became active in the Mountaineer Garden Club and the Strickland Sunday School Class at First Baptist Church in Boone. She had a great appreciation for nature and enjoyed exploring and photographing beautiful scenery, birds, and flowers. She was a tremendous lover of classical and sacred music. She and her husband shared a love of literature, poetry, and theatre. She not only enjoyed the visual arts, but also created numerous paintings and sculptures during her lifetime. In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Margaret Terkel and Kay Sisell, and a brother, Wayne Teague. She is survived by her children, Cherry Johnson and husband Roby of Boone, Alan Hayes and wife Lynn, of Valle Crucis, Amy Singleton of Simpsonville, S.C., and Martha Thomason and husband Jason of Raleigh. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Adam Johnson of Nags Head, Lydia Coffman and husband Jerrod of Raleigh, Phillip Johnson and wife Ashleigh of Wake Forest, Micah Johnson and wife Jessi of Hickory, Matthew Johnson of Boone, Daniel Hayes of Boone, Anna Hayes of Valle Crucis, Sidney Hayes of Boone, Haley Despard and husband Derek of Greer, S.C., Christopher, Samuel, Jeremy and Ariel Singleton, all of Simpsonville, S.C., and Levi and Andrew Thomason, both of Raleigh and six great-grandchildren, Cody and Jathan Coffman of Raleigh, Conner, Parker, and Hunter Johnson of Hickory, and Austin Despard of Greer, S.C. She is also survived by four sisters, Shirley and husband Joe Bentley of Boone, Evelyn Mast of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Eloise Brown and husband Herb of Winston-Salem, and Clara Gizinski and husband Richard also of Winston-Salem and one brother, Jim Teague and wife Norma of Boone as well as one sister-in-law, Mary Teague of Sacramento, Ca. A large number of nieces and nephews also survive. Memorial services will begin with the body lying in state from 1-2 pm on Sunday, September 18, 2016 in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Boone. The funeral will follow at 2 pm, officiated by �Reverend Roy Dobyns. The family will receive friends immediately following the services in the church fellowship hall. A graveside service will be held at Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens at 5 pm. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lois Hayes Memorial Arts Education Fund at the Watauga County Arts Council, 377 Shadowline Drive, Boone, NC. Donations may also be made online at www.watauga-arts.org or by telephone at 828-264-1789. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Hayes family.