Helen Hays

It is with heavy hearts that the family of Helen Moore Hays announces that she died peacefully at the Kansas City Hospice House on December 12, 2024 at the age of 94. Helen was married for 70 years to her soulmate, Robert (Bob) Hays, who preceded her in death in 2021. She was a much loved mother to Susan and Sharon, who preceded her in death in 2023, grandmother to Kylie, Erica, Joseph, Azita, David, and Paresa, and great-grandmother to Thea, Laurie, Ashleigh, Jimmy, Fallon, Hays, Eleanor, Olivia, and Finn.

Helen was born on September 26, 1930, in Orange, New Jersey. She was the youngest of 7 children and the only member of her family born in the USA, as her parents William and Annie Christison and all of her siblings were born in Scotland. The family came to the USA in 1929 and struggled in the depression era as recent immigrants. The lessons Helen learned as a child about perseverance and the necessity of frugality remained with her all her life.

Helen met Bob when she was 15 and he lived over the back fence from her parents’ home. They attended West Orange High School, from which Helen graduated in 1948. After marrying on June 24, 1950, they lived in the home that Bob built and started their family. They moved to Kansas in 1960 for Bob’s work with Western Electric. Helen greatly missed her extended family who remained in New Jersey. She wrote weekly letters to her mother, and the family enjoyed annual visits “back East” during summer vacations. Helen devoted her time to raising their two girls until the late 1960s, when she also worked part-time in various retail and administration roles. She was also very proud of having received her PHT (Putting Hubby Through) from the University of Missouri in 1966, after supporting Bob in earning his Master's in Business Administration.

When Bob retired in 1985, he and Helen enjoyed travelling between their homes in Estes Park, Colorado, and Bradenton, Florida, before returning to Overland Park to be closer their daughter Sharon and her children. Some of Helen’s happiest days were spent in their summer home in Estes Park, another house that Bob built. They enjoyed an active social life “on the hill” and were well-loved members of that community. They also made regular visits to Australia where their daughter Susan lives with her family.

Helen will be remembered for her devotion to her family, her love of dogs (especially miniature dachshunds), and her passion for shopping. From the Jones Store, to Macy’s, to C.J. Banks and beyond, her shopping prowess was legendary, and she was forever thrilled by the hunt for a good bargain. Up until her final days, Helen’s impeccable taste and sense of style was always on display, with carefully curated outfits, coordinating accessories, and perfectly coiffed hair. She also enjoyed playing bridge, was an avid reader, and an enthusiastic collector of Swarovski crystal figurines. Helen had a lively personality and a razor-sharp memory. And those who knew her best could attest to the true secret to her longevity: A steady supply of candy, which she referred to as her “medicine.”

Per Helen's wishes, she will be laid to rest with Bob in the Memorial Garden at the Church of the Resurrection in a private service.

Helen's family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to either the Church of the Resurrection or to the Kansas City Hospice House.