Catherine Gilley Hayes' Obituary
Catherine Gilley Hayes was born on June 20, 1928 in Amarillo, Texas to Clark Hanks Gilley and Berta Catherine King Gilley and passed away on June 16, 2020 in Mesquite, Texas at the age of 91. She moved often while growing up and lived in Amarillo, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Kansas City and was raised during her pre-school years by her maternal grandparents.
On April 2, 1948 she married Alton Barnell Hayes and they were married for almost 63 years until his death in 2011. They lived in Fort Worth (which she referred to as “paradise”) until 1965. They worshipped with the Meadowbrook Church of Christ where she was an active member and Bible class teacher. During this period, their two children, Janet and Craig, were born.
From 1965 until 2019, she lived in the same home in Garland, Texas. She loved her Saturn Road Church of Christ family and was involved in teaching children’s Bible class, serving those in the mission field, ministering to shut-ins and teaching in summer literacy programs. The last two she did up to the age of 90.
She worked in banking for most of her adult life. While living in Garland she worked at a bank (which went through many names and many owners) in the White Rock area of Dallas. Here she made close friends and provided a sense of stability and continuity to the customers, so much so that they placed her in a glass-walled office at the entrance of the bank for all the customers to see that Catherine was still there.
Her greatest pride and joy came from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved being Grandmommy and Gigi. Her pride in their accomplishments might sound like bragging, but “She couldn’t help it if hers were so special.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clark and Berta Gilley, her husband Barnell, her brothers Donald, Gordon and Robert, and her son-in-law David McClung. She is survived by daughter Janet McClung of DeSoto, TX, son Craig Hayes and his wife Missy of Albuquerque, NM, grandson Carter McClung and wife Kathleen of Midlothian, TX, granddaughter Alicia Hughes and husband Joshua of Roanoke, TX, granddaughter Rebekah Thomas and husband Ben of Paris, France, and granddaughter Laura Hayes of Bend, OR. She also loved being “Gigi” to Raedynce, Penny, Layton and Brooklyn.
Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m on Monday, June 22, 2020 at Restland Cemetery. Immediate family only.
In expression of her love for missions and children, donations in lieu of flowers should be made to any of the following: 1) Saturn Road Mission Committee, 3030 Saturn Road, Garland, TX 75041, 2) the summer literacy program at Saturn Road Church of Christ (memo line CPR), 3030 Saturn Road, Garland, TX 75041, 3), Arms of Hope at armsofhope.org, or 4) Our Father’s Children at ourfatherschildren.org.
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