LOLA A. WILLEY HAILEY
LOLA A. HAILEY DAUGHTER OF WILLARD R. AND MAUD (RUSK) WILLEY, WAS BORN JUNE 26, 1916 AT MOUNT AYR IOWA. LOLA GRADUATED FROM MOUNT AYR HIGH SCHOOL IN 1934,ALSO RECEIVING HER TEACHER’S CERTIFICATE AT THE SAME TIME. LOLA WAS A COUNTRY SCHOOL TEACHER AT JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP #6 FOR THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS.
ON MARCH 20, 1942, LOLA WAS UNITED IN MARRIAGE TO GERALD D. HAILEY IN MOUNT AYR. LOLA AND GERALD LIVED THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THEIR MARRIAGE ON A FARM SOUTHWEST OF SHANNON CITY; FARMED SOUTH OF SHANNON CITY FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS, AND THEN FARMED EIGHT MILES NORTH OF MOUNT AYR FROM 1970 TO 1997. LOLA AND GERALD RETIRED FROM THE FARM AND MOVED TO MOUNT AYR IN 1997. GERALD PASSED AWAY ON APRIL 16, 1998 AT THE AGE OF 81. LOLA CONTINUED TO LIVE IN MOUNT AYR FOR THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS. LOLA SND GERALD LIVED IN RINGGOLD COUNTY, IOWA THEIR ENTIRE LIFE UNTIL THREE YEARS AGO WHEN LOLA MOVED TO CRESCENT, IOWA TO LIVE WITH HER DAUGHTER.
LOLA WAS BAPTIZED AND A MEMBER OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN MOUNT AYR. LOLA WAS A 4-H LEADER WHILE HER CHILDREN WERE GROWING UP. WHE HAD BEEN A TOWNSHIP SECRETARY. LOLA AND GERALD LIKED SQUARE DANCING AND PLAYING CARDS WITH FRIENDS. AFTER RETIREMENT, LOLA AND GERALD TOOK MANY TRIPS WITH THE MOUNT AYR VIC CLUB. LOLA WAS A GREAT COOK, WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT SEWING, CROCHETING AND KNITTING, WROTE POETRY AND WAS A BEAUTIFUL SINGER. LOLA WAS A GREAT MENTOR TO HER GRANDCHILDREN BY TEACHING THEM HOW TO COOK AND OTHER LIFE SKILLS. LOLA HAD BECOME A RESIDENT OF LONGVIEW NURSING HOME IN MISSOURI VALLEY, IOWA AND PASSED AWAY THERE ON FEBRUARY 14, 2009 AT THE AGE OF 92.
SHE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER PARENTS; HUSBAND GERALD; INFANT SON, DONALD DEWAYNE HAILEY; BROTHER, CLAIRE WILLEY AND TWO SISTERS, MAXINE KIMBLE AND IONA WILLEY.
SURVIVORS INCLUDE HER TWO CHILDREN, ROSETTA “ROSIE’ GILSON AND HUSBAND DAVE OF CRESCENT, IOWA AND GARY HAILEY AND WIFE, KIM, OF WAVERLY, NEBRASKA; GRANDCHILDREN, ANITA GILSON OF CRESCENT, IA; KEVIN GILSON AND WIFE DIERDRE OF TAMPA FLORIDA; KYLE GILSON AND WIFE JEN OF CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO; KREG GILSON AND ELIZABETH SMITH OF OMAHA, NE; TONA BACH AND HUSBAND MARTY OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA; JOSHUA WATTS OF WAVERLY, NE; JEFFREY HAILEY AND WIFE ANNEE OF LINCOLN, NE; GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, BREANNA GILSON, ZACHARY GILSON, ROBERT GILSON, EMILY GLISON, SABRINA GILSON, GARIAN GILSON, BLAKE GILSON, GABRIEL BACH, MARIAH WATTS, DAKOTA WATTS. JESSE WATTS, SAVANNAH DENISON, ALEX HAILEY, ELENA WATTS, TREVOR WATTS, KEYEN FOSSBERG AND CAYLE FOSSBERG; A BROTHER, GEROLD WILLEY AND WIFE JEAN OF MOUNT AYR, IA AND TWO SISTERS, PAULINE MCCUTCHEN OF MOUNT AYR AND ELMA MOORE OF AFTON, IA AND OTHER RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.
FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD FEBRUARY 21 AT WATSON-ARMSTRONG FUNERAL HOME IN MOUNT AYR WITH BURIAL TO FOLLOW AT ROSE HILL CEMETERY.
CASKET BEARERS ARE MARTY BACH, JOSH FOSSBERG, KEVIN GILSON, KREG GILSON, KYLE GILSON, JEFF HAILEY, JAMIE WATTS AND JOSH WATTS.
