Gladys Hays, mother of 6, grandmother of 18, great grandmother of 29, and beloved teacher of thousands died Friday, July 20th. She was 97 years young. Our mom began her life in Pittsburgh on June 18th, 1921. When WWII began, she volunteered with the United States Naval Reserve, at the time called Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service or WAVES. She supported her country and the war effort by supervising aircraft mechanics in Kansas. There, she met the love of her life, the man who would later become her husband, James Hays.
After the war, they moved to Arizona and started a family, while Gladys studied education at the University of Arizona. Over her many decades as a teacher, mom taught elementary school and later became an art resource teacher for TUSD. Her students adored her. Her passion for knowledge, understanding, and advocacy for children’s education led to her becoming a master teacher.
In retirement, she gave of herself and her time working with young children - volunteering in literacy programs, inspiring community youth to explore the incredible journeys and knowledge books can bring.
We her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren adored her too! There are countless precious memories of multi-generational summers spent in the White Mountains of Arizona, her summer home for over 50 years! She loved the forest and its creatures, the cool mountain air, and sharing the gift of love with her family.
Later in life, she traveled to more than 20 countries, including Thailand, Egypt, Brazil and Japan, taking in everything she could along the way. Those who were close to her will remember her as being up for anything, from a game of bridge to an elephant ride! Mom was connoisseur of art and life, space and time. She was a perennial student, studying the mind and how our brains functioned. She was recently fascinated by the research regarding trees and how they nurture and support one another, encouraging many of us to explore the subject further. She nurtured through education, raised 6 brilliant children, and was thrilled with the arrival of every new family member, the total now at 53!
Her husband, James died in 1993. Her siblings, Carol Merlot and Robert Bowers, and her children, James Hays, Byron Hays, Debbi Carroll, Pamela Hays, Randy Hays, Kathy Hays, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren survive Gladys. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Educational Enrichment Foundation whose mission is to provide resources to expand and enrich student learning in the Tucson Unified School District.
A 9:00 AM service to celebrate her life will be held on Friday, August 3rd at the East Lawn Palms Mortuary Chapel.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.3