Deloris Woods Hayden

Deloris Woods Hayden was born to the union of James Woods and Jezebel Washington on May 16, 1936, in Vidalia, Louisiana. Blessed with 86 years, she was the beloved eldest of two branches of her family tree. From Jezebel Washington she was followed by siblings Shirley Woods (deceased), Elizabeth Davis Louding and Jerry Washington and from James Woods she was followed by Jeannette Neblett (deceased). She attended Vidalia High School and maintained a long-lasting friendship with her High School friend Lucille Jenkins. She worked in the Hospitality Industry for over a decade training and managing housekeeping staff at new hotels to establish a foundation for the team of workers to maintain. Most of her career was taking care of her children, grandchildren, and family friends’ children. A major life lesson learned from her (aka Mom, Granny D, Sister, Aunty, and friend) is to love those who are a part of your life. The birth order, marriage, stepfamily, half-brother/sister, in-laws, or extended family are descriptions of why you met. The life you share and building community for the youth to thrive is more important and “must be done” with discipline and love. This classy lady’s beautiful spirit and standards radiated for you to experience and see. Each of us had a unique relationship and we can share our own stories, but one special connection of note was her daily communications with her sister Liz. They spoke at least four times a day, every day, or maybe the baseline for talking was six times; who is counting? They would know about each other’s whereabouts and news. This daily connection did not matter if they were in the same state or not. They had a significant bond. To know Deloris Hayden was to also know her love for family, sports, and daytime “stories”. Sports was one of her favorite past times. She was excited to watch her teams either on television or live, Which was a perfect fit for four athletic children. She had sports gear for each team- t-shirts, coat, scarf, slippers, blankets, etc. she was prepared to represent her team at home or at the stadium. Yes, she had more than one favorite Football team – Seahawks 12th man, Saints and Cowboys (“Ya’ll do not worry about the order of the teams!” 😊). We need to also mention the NBA and WNBA teams, ice skating and Mariner’s baseball were also her favorites. She also was an avid bowler known for her stylish form. She reached high pin scores and maintained a case full of trophies when in single and couple leagues. If you did not keep up with “stories”, a.k.a “Soap Operas”, you would think that she was talking about a real person, however Aunty Mau, Cousin Mildred, Aunty Adie B and Cousin Bea knew exactly what was going on. Deloris shared a special bond with Lucille Jenkins, Till Lucien, Maria Watkins, Barbara House, Ethel Stott and of course many family members. She is survived by her children: Melvin Joseph (Marvella) (Seattle, WA), Gary Joseph (Seattle, WA) and Karen Hayden (Covington, LA), and siblings: Jerry Washington (Semmes, AL) and Elizabeth Louding (Marreo, LA), Nephews & Nieces: Ondria Neblett (South Holland, IL), Jeanine Neblett Griffin (Troy) (Chicago, Il), Joseph Louding (New Orleans, LA), Altonvice Louding Thomas (Tarrace)(Madisonville, LA), Je’rann Washington (New Orleans, LA); Charlotte Washington (New Orleans, LA), Tre’ Washington (Ponchatoula, LA) as well as, 12 grandchildren, over 35 great-grandchildren and a host of Aunts & Uncles, cousins and friends. While we miss her, we know Deloris joins her eldest son, James Joseph, two sisters Shirley & Jeanette and many other loved ones who have passed on. Daily we see her beautiful smile and remember how she made us laugh when describing things. Her descriptions were hilarious, a “little off the cuff”, country and sophisticated at the same time. We will all miss her and the special love she showed each of us.

Tributes

Deloris Woods Hayden

May 16, 1936 - December 30, 2022