Martha A. Hayes of Mount Pleasant, died Friday, December 5, 2014 at Park Place Elder Living in Mount Pleasant as a result of complications following an abdominal infection that began in September. She was 85 years old. A memorial service for Miss Hayes will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, January 9, 2015 at the First United Methodist Church, 309 N. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. The Reverend Deborah J. Stowers will officiate. Cremation rites have been accorded, with burial of Martha's ashes to be on the family plot in Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant. The family will receive friends at a luncheon in the church Fellowship Hall immediately following the memorial service. There will be no visitation at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant, which is in charge of the arrangements. Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family for a later named designation. On-line condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com. Martha was born in Mount Pleasant on October 31, 1929. After graduating from Mount Pleasant High School in 1946 she began at Iowa Wesleyan College, then transferred to the University of Iowa where she graduated in 1951 with a degree in Psychology and her teaching credentials. She began as a kindergarten and first grade school teacher in Rockford Il, teaching from 1951-1954. She subsequently taught in Torrance, California (1954-1958) and Racine, Wisconsin before entering into the book publishing business, rising to an editor of elementary school books. For 16 years, she was an Executive Editor for Harper & Row Publishing Company in New York. During her time in New York, Martha also did free-lance work as an editor. She lived in Boston, Chicago and then New York City before retiring in 1986 and returning to Mount Pleasant. She's been an active member of the Mount Pleasant community and state of Iowa for the last 20+ years. Her passion was the preservation of history while supporting development of the local communities and was a founding member of the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance, now Preservation Iowa, serving on its board for the 21 years and its treasurer until 2010. She served as the institutional memory for many throughout the state, and especially in Mount Pleasant. At the time of her death she was a life trustee of the Iowa Wesleyan College Board of Trustees, serving since 1969. Martha served on the City of Mount Pleasant Public Library Board and as a member and chairman of the Mt. Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission. She was a founding member of the Henry County Heritage Trust, and served as its chairman. Since 1995, she served as the Collections Supervisor and Manager for the Theater Museum, part of the Midwest Old Threshers. She also volunteered in other areas for Midwest Old Threshers. Martha joined Mt. Pleasant Evening Rotary Club in 1988. She was a Past President, a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and served as the Secretary of the Cub for many years. Martha also served as Secretary for the Mt. Pleasant Chapter of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra. Martha was a member and Past President of the Henry County Health Center Auxiliary. She served as the Manager of the hospital's gift shop from 1990 to 2004 and was Co-Manager from 2004 until her death. She made yearly trips to market for the purpose of purchasing inventory for the shop. Her activity with the Auxiliary resulted in being names as one of the Iowa Hospital Associations Shining Stars for 2012. She followed her mother's footsteps by belonging to both the Wednesday Club and Southside Club. A Member of the Mt. Pleasant Area Alliance (formerly Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce), Martha was namedCitizen of the Year by the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce in_______. For six years since in inception in 2002, Martha served on the Board of Main Street Mt. Pleasant. For 12 years, Martha has been the chairperson of Main Street's Design Committee, and was named Main Street's Volunteer of the Year. Since 1996, Martha was an Executive board Member of the Friends of the Harlan Lincoln House in Mt. Pleasant. She had been a member of P.E.O. Chapter Original A since 1989. In 2013, she received the DAR Community Service Award, being nominated by the chapter to which she belonged, the James Harlan Chapter. She was a member of the Alumnae Club of the Pi Beta Phi Soroity, the Mount Pleasant Women's Club, the Coterie Club and the First United Methodist Church of Mt. Pleasant. She is survived by her sister Carol of Corona CA and sister-in-law Cora Hayes of Des Moines; nine nephews: Michael (Lorrie) Hayes of Des Moines, Andy (Isabelle) Hayes of Libertyville IL, John Hayes of Miami FL, Bill Hayes of Columbus, OH, Jeff (Beverly) Hayes of Vernon Hills IL, Steve Hayes of Torrance CA, Bob (Krista) Hayes of Redondo Beach CA, Dave Egli of Corona CA and Stuart Egli of ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Rancho Cucamonga CA, two nieces: Cathy Egli of San Francisco CA and Cris Hayes of Redondo Beach CA, and two Mount Pleasant native cousins, Jo Ann (Hayes) Farrell of Austin TX and Jan (Hayes) Dougherty of Woodbury MN. She also is survived by eight grand-nephews, six grand-nieces, four grand-grand nephews and six grand-grand nieces, with two more on the way. She was preceded in death by her parents, Columbus and Beulah (Billingsley) Hayes, brothers, Edward and Warren, and uncle and aunt, Ernie and Ruth Hayes.

Service

JAN 9. 11:00 AM (CST)

First United Methodist Church 309 North Main Street Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641