88, of Galesburg Ill., died at 2:33 am Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg.
She was born the fourth of seven children to Harry M. and Mabel F. Rice Hayes in Galesburg at 748 Willard St. the first born in town.
She attended Lincoln Grade School, Hitchcock Junior High School and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1944.
After that, her family moved to 1519 N. Broad St. She was a lifelong Galesburg resident.
She worked as a youngster for her uncle, Leo Rice, at his vegetable and candy stand at Bateman and Fremont Streets. During high school, Mae worked at JC Penney in the receiving department. She then worked at Sears Roebuck in the receiving department. She was a homemaker.
Mae attended First Baptist church as a youngster with her grandmother, Sarah Hayes.
Mae met George Boyd when she was with her sister, Shirley, in downtown Galesburg. He was in town with his two best friends from Bushnell. He was from Abingdon, originally from Bushnell. Mae had noticed George before, but his friends did all the talking, George said nothing. Mae ended up giving her number to one of his friends. George called her the next day. They married on May 7, 1950, his twenty-sixth birthday, at First United Methodist Church in Galesburg by the Reverend Raye Ragan. They lived at the North Broad Street address for four months until their house was completed. George died December 26, 2002.
Mae was a member of Little Swan Lake, the Humane Society, Ducks Unlimited, AARP, and the WWII museum.
She listened to music every day, her favorites were Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee. For years, Mae rode her stationery bike to her music. She was thrilled to see Tony Bennett in concert in Peoria with George. Mae enjoyed movies, her favorites were George Raft, Fred Astaire and Robert Mitchum. She did crossword and jigsaw puzzles. She was a collector and went antiquing and to yard, rummage and craft sales and enjoyed the scenic drives and Railroad Days. Mae enjoyed feeding the birds. She was an avid reader, especially mysteries and detective stories. She always looked forward to the holidays. Mae and George would can and freeze vegetables each year from their large garden. Every year, she planned the summer vacation, going to a different state. George would drive and their daughters would navigate. Each year, the family would go to the Knox County, Peoria and State Fairs. When the girls were in school, she would mark the encyclopedias to prepare them to study. She enjoyed learning new things. Mae liked fishing and picnics. She always kept in touch with greeting cards. She was loving, giving, sweet and silly.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband George, her three sisters, Evelyn Hayes, Marian Porter, and Shirley Williams, and her three brothers, Dale, Earl, and Lloyd Hayes.
Left to cherish her memory include two daughters, Christine Lorraine Boone of Roscoe and Lisa Boyd of Galesburg, two granddaughters, Andrea (Scott Powell) Boone of Roscoe and Shauna Lorraine (Adam) Larson of Freeport, and two great grandchildren, Colton and Lola Lorraine Larson of Freeport. Also surviving are her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Marilyn Hayes of Galesburg, Jo-Ann Boyd, Phyllis and Ernie Repp, Max and Jo Boyd, all of Avon, and Betty Howard of Bushnell and many nieces and nephews and their families.
Graveside services are scheduled for 11 am, Saturday August 17, 2013 in Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens. Rev. James Ecklund will officiate. There will be no visitation. Cremation was accorded. Hinchliff-Pearson West is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be offered at www.h-p-w.com.
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