Lois Ann Hay....... Age 86

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Saint Luke’s Hospice House, 3516 Summit Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111.

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Lois Ann Hay, age 86, of Louisburg, Kansas, passed away Friday afternoon, January 3, 2020, at Saint Luke’s Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri, after a brief illness, surrounded by family.

She was born October 13, 1933 in Thedford, Nebraska to Arthur H. and Emma (Schweer) Kriesel.

Lois married her husband of fifty-seven years, Wayne Hay, on May 27, 1951 shortly after graduating from Garnett High School.  After beginning their life together in Fontana, they moved to Parker, Kansas where they lived for fourteen years.  At a time when women were not common in the workplace, Lois took on jobs raising dairy cattle, driving a semitrailer, loading and unloading cattle and grain, driving a school bus, and working the overnight shift at the Osawatomie State Hospital.

Lois and Wayne moved with their children to the farm in Greeley, Kansas in 1967 where they remained until Wayne’s illness in 2009.  Those forty-two years on the farm will be remembered fondly by all who were lucky enough to be a part of them.  From late night card games and sleepovers with the grandchildren to family reunions and holiday celebrations, spending time on the farm will never be forgotten.  Lois and Wayne worked tirelessly on those ten acres to bring joy, peace, and beauty to all who visited. On that land they grew tomatoes, corn, strawberries and more, but most importantly they grew a family.

After selling the farm in 2009, Lois and Wayne moved to Louisburg, Kansas.  Lois’ family will be forever grateful to the friends and companionship she found at Starbrooke Villas.  Lois loved baking, crafts, and card games, and she was able to enjoy all of those things with her neighbors there.  Lois’ baked goods will be remembered and missed in the classrooms of her great-grandchildren, the beauty shops of her friends, and the offices of family members.  From Colorado to Alabama, and even overseas, there is a lot of love for Lois and her cookies and breads.

Lois is preceded in death by her husband, Wayne Hay; her parents, Arthur and Emma Kriesel; siblings Dorothy Bartels, Keith Kriesel, and Clara Tyler; and a grandson, Jason Eugene Dalsing.

She is survived by a sister, Leona McCauley; three children, Kenneth Hay (Kristen) of Miller, Missouri, Diane Russell (Kevin) of Parkville, Missouri, and Cindy Shafer of Fayetteville, Arkansas; eight grandchildren; eighteen great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and many others who thought of her as grandma.