Zelma Eliza Jeffries Hayes, of Richville, N.Y., passed peacefully Thursday morning, June 6, in Kingston, N.Y. She was 92.
Zelma was born in Alamance County, N.C. to Eliza Ann Jeffries and Kyrl Jeffries, and was raised by her aunt and uncle, Lunette (Jeffries) and Joe Parker. She graduated from Pleasant Grove High School in 1951, and entered the Kate B. Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Winston Salem, N.C. before marrying the Rev. Clarence D. Hayes in 1952. They began raising a family, first in North Carolina, then for 15 years in Newark, N.J., and in 1968 settled in Northern New York.
Zelma was many things in her life: a wife, a mother, a Christian; a nurse’s aide, a fish-market owner, a homemaker, a farmer, and the Pastor’s wife. More than anything, though, she was a caregiver, in every sense of the word.
Zelma, or "Zellie," as many of her friends and family knew her, spent her life caring for others. She was a dedicated wife and a mother of three boys and two girls, but she treated pretty much everyone like family. If she knew you, she helped you. She cared for you. She wanted you to be healthy and educated and at peace no matter who you were.
Zelma invested herself in her church, but more than that, she invested herself in her community. She was a leader in the PTA. She distributed charity items, often from her own home. She worked voter polls until her late 80s.
And, in a beautiful example of how kindness proliferates, her communities invested in her. This was especially true after her husband, Clarence, died almost 30 years before her. When Zelma wanted to visit her vast family in North Carolina, her family embraced her.
More remarkably, even as she became less independent, she refused to leave her farmhouse in West Hermon. It was her home. It was where she raised her family and built a life with her husband. It was where she belonged. It also was far from her children, without easy support. Except it wasn't.
With a diligence and loyalty so common in places like Hermon, Zelma’s friends and neighbors looked after her. They took care of her. It was wonderful to witness: She never lacked the most important components of life; belonging and companionship.
She is survived by her children; Bonnie Brown, Rudy (Sylvia) Hayes, Mary (Dean) Hayes Gordon, Marc (Shelly) Hayes, daughter-in-law Connie Hayes; 18 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Rev. Clarence D. Hayes, son Clarence D. Hayes, Jr. (Buster) grandson Philip Hayes Gordon, cousin-siblings Addie Parker and Freddie Parker, and son-in-law Leroy Brown. Their sorrow will be shared by a great many; such are the dividends of a life spent investing yourself in others
The community is invited to a Celebration of Zelma’s life on Sunday, June 23 at the Lighthouse Community Church, 209 Main St., Richville, NY. A potluck lunch with family and friends will be from 12:00 – 1:00, with the Celebration and Remembrance from 1:00 – 2:00. All are welcome to attend the church service from 11:00 – 12:00.