BENJAMIN 'BENNIE' RUSSELL HAYS OBITUARITY

The Jonesboro Sun

Tuesday, January 10, 1989

Hays B. Russell Hays, 83, of Blytheville, retired president of Hays Store Inc., died Saturday at Baptist Memorial Hopsital in Memphis following a long illness. Born in Uniontwon, he had been a resident of Blytheville since 1935. A member of the First Christian Church in Blythville.

 Hays was a past president of teh Blytheville School Board, the Blytheville Chamber of Commerce and Blytheville Country Club, of which he was a charter member. He was a past vice-president of the Farmers Soybean Cooperative, a member of the board of directors of the First National Bank of Blytheville for more than 35 years and was an honoraty member at the time of his death.

Hays also was a member of the Blytheville Unlimited Committee, a past member of the Blytheville Lions Club, a deacon of the First Christian Church at Blytheville for many years, a member of the Sales and Marketing Executive of Northeast Arkansas and an active sports enthusiast.

Survivors include his wife, Mrs. May Hays of the home; one son, Benny R Hays Jr. of Jonesboro, one daughter, Mrs. Sissie Hays Black of Osceola; five brothers. W C Hays, Paul Hays, Donald Hays and Earl Hays, all of Van Buren, and Hadley Hays of Jackson, Tenn.; three sisters, Mrs. Clara Kilgore, Mrs. Mary Deffenbaugh and Mrs. Dorothy Vines, all of Van Buren and Five grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 3:30pm this afternooon in First Christian Church of Blytheville with Rev William Hammondsand Rev Paul Kirkindall officiating.

Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery of Blytheville under the direction of Cobb Funeral Home in Blytheville. Those wishing to leave lasting memorials are asked to consider the First Christian Church in Blytheville, the Blytheville YMCA or the Mississippi County Rescue Mission.