Connie Sue Hayes

Connie Sue Hayes passed, peacefully, at home on Thursday, January 11, 2018. She was born September 21, 1938 in rural Eureka, the daughter of Virgil and Doris Little Stever.She was married to Larry M. Hayes of Emporia. They married on November 17, 1990.  Previously, she was married to Billy J. Gray. Connie and Billy had four daughters.  Joanne Priest, Jeanette (Mike) Branam, Janis DeBoer, Julie Leydens.  Grandchildren include Rochelle (Seth) Wilk and two great grandchildren, Henry and Rosalind Wilk, Kendall (Natalie) Priest, Sarah (Preston) Schotte, Reggie and Jon Leydens.  Connie enjoyed Larry’s children, Brad Hayes, Jerry Hayes and Tricia (Jeff Kring) Hayes and grandchildren, Justyn, Bradyn, Greysyn Hayes, J.T., Jessie, Joel Hayes and Sabrina Cape.   Connie was from a large family of ten children.  She is preceded in death by her parents, Virgil and Doris Stever and four siblings, Shirley Nicholson, Jerry Stever, Judy Cates, Kathy Higbee.  Sisters Jeanne (Martin) Burtin live in Eureka, Sally (Greg) Gulick of Moran, Nancy (Ron) Brecheisen of Hartford and brothers Jim Stever of Emporia, Rick (Becky) Stever of Eureka.     She loved fishing, playing cards with the Boston Grange card club, baking, cooking, genealogy, Friday evening dinner with neighbors, and social media.  She was a techie.  She loved her large family and the lord.    After retirement, she began collecting snowmen, snowwomen, snow families.  She enjoyed them all.  Her collection will be available after the service for attendees to take a snowman in remembrance of Connie.    Visitation for Connie will be held at Victory Fellowship in Emporia on Sunday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  The service will be held at 11:00 on Monday at Victory Fellowship.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Friends of the Zoo.   Condolences may be expressed at vanarsdalefs.com