Betty Marie Hayes died Friday, November 3, 2023 at age 88 in The Springs at Mount Vista Rehabilitation & Health Center in Harrison, AR.  She was born August 15, 1935 in Houston, TX to parents William Thomas Hayes, Sr. and Ethel Marie Lindsey.  She had been a well-loved resident of Mount Vista since 2020, and her family sincerely appreciates the compassionate care she received there.

Betty Hayes spent the majority of her life in Houston and Pasadena, TX, and moved to Harrison, AR, in 2005.  She graduated from Charles H. Milby High School in 1953, attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, TX and much later the University of Houston.  She was a former employee of Houston Lighting & Power Company, as her father was before her, and later worked as a substitute teacher in Houston, Pasadena and Harrison, AR, along with serving as a volunteer in many capacities in those locations.  Betty had three-children and two-granddaughters by her former marriage to Cecil Eugene Primrose.  Betty enjoyed staying in-touch with her relatives in the Lindsey and Hayes families and her adopted Whiteside clan.  For over twenty-years she had faithfully cared for her widowed mother.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, sister Mary Ellen (Hayes) Bond, brother Gilbert Louis Hayes, sister Naomi Elizabeth (Hayes) Sledge, brother William Thomas Hayes, Jr., and her youngest child, William Primrose.  She is survived by a son, Walter Primrose (Gwynn Morrison), a daughter, Carol (Primrose) Burton (Patrick), granddaughter Rachel Elliott, and granddaughter Rebekah Primrose (daughter of Jenny Primrose).  She was also aunt to fourteen nieces and nephews:  Allan Hayes (Patty), Glenn Hayes (Janis), Lou Anne Kahlich (Doug), Joel Hayes (Melissa), Susan Salidivar (David), David Hayes, Bill Hayes, James Hayes, Faye Sledge (Forrest), Nance Sledge, Claire Whiteside (Jim).  She was very special to Claire's son Brian Whiteside, his wife Danielle and their children (Laura, Owen, Josie).  She was loved by many cousins including Jeri Mills, Beverly Jennings, Donna Jennings, Ben Lindsey and Linden Lindsey.

She had struggled with mental illness but fought that stigma by being open about her challenges in order to help others.  She was active with National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) for several years. She made friends wherever she went since she had a genuine interest in all people and enjoyed encouraging others.  She visited old friends and made new ones in the nursing homes for years, often sharing her famous freshly baked banana bread. Her giving heart knew no bounds: she always said to "send everyone her love".

Betty Hayes was a devout Christian raised in the Methodist faith, she loved her Lord throughout her days, and shared her love with those around her.  In the Harrison area she was a member of Valley View Methodist Church and led the singing there for many years and also attended the Bellefonte, St. Paul's and First Methodist churches, along with several other local churches.

Betty will be buried next to her mother in the Farrsville Cemetery near Wiergate, TX, surrounded by family members on November 7, 2023. A memorial service is being planned for September 28, 2024, at the Farrsville Cemetery annual meeting.

She wrote the following to be read at her funeral: "She loved the Lord; He led the way.  She loved to sing; she sang from the heart.  She was an overcomer."  From the Cokesbury Hymnal she chose "This so sweet to Trust in Jesus" and "Jesus is all the World to me".

She wrote this prayer: "Heavenly Father, Creator God - You are awesome.  I have sinned by being judgmental of others; forgive me.  Thank You - in Your infinite wisdom You have given me a loving family, here on Earth and already passed on.  Be with those family and friends who do not know You that they may come to Your saving grace."

Arrangements were made by Coffman Funeral Home of Harrison, AR, and Stringer and Griffin Funeral Home of Jasper, TX.

Consider making a donation in Betty's memory to a charitable cause such as one of her favorites: House of Hope Cottages/ P. O. Box 97/ Harrison, AR. 72602.