Georgia Mae Hayden, 87, of Union City, formerly of Okemos, passed away peacefully Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at her home under hospice care, surrounded by family.
Following cremation, a graveside service for immediate family will be held at Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin, Ohio, at the Hayden family plot.
Georgia was born April 15, 1938 to William and Virginia (Ligman) Myers in Highland Park, Michigan. She graduated from Southfield High School with the Class of 1955. After high school, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University.
While at MSU, she met her future husband, James Bostwick Hayden, during a Powderpuff football game where Jim was the head coach and Georgia the winning team’s quarterback. August 15, 1959 the college sweethearts married in Southfield, Michigan. Georgia worked as an elementary school teacher for the East Lansing School District.
Georgia was fearless about any undertaking. She played barber to her 3 sons. She always had a home-cooked meal on the table for her family. She drove her boys to and from practices. She coached some of the swim practices. She prepared spaghetti or pancake dinners for the teams. She was naturally creative.
Whether she picked up a paintbrush, prepared a new recipe, or created a new quilt, it was always done with care and the precision of an engineer.
As an award-winning, lifelong quilter, she was a member of the Capital City Quilt Guild and founded many other groups. Whether it be a graduation quilt or a wedding quilt, she always had a commemorative quilt prepared for her son’s and grandchildren’s milestones.
Georgia was an avid gardener, had a perfectly manicured and well-curated yard that was always a stop for the garden club and home tours. She was a past president of the Green Thumb Garden Club of Union City as well as Life & National Member of MGC & NGC. Her eye for design also helped to develop 3 ‘Welcome to Union City’ signs.
While at MSU, she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and years later oversaw the construction of their current sorority house. Georgia was also a recipient of the Paul Harris award from Rotary International. She loved to read her Kindle books. She adored all of her dogs and watching the birds at her numerous bird feeders.
Georgia is survived by her husband of 66 years, James; her sons, James W. Hayden of Las Vegas, NV, Douglas S. (Kathleen) Hayden of Chicago, IL, and Richard L. (Shoma) Hayden of Santa Monica, CA; her grandchildren, Ryan J. Hayden, Jordan L. Hayden, Erin Hayden, Shannon Hayden, Corey (Eleanor) Hayden; her great-grandchildren, August L. Hayden and Reese M. Hayden.
In addition to her parents, Georgia was preceded in death by her brother, William L. Myers.
Memorial donations can be made to the Rotary Club of Union City, P.O. Box 212, Union City, MI 49094 or the Green Thumb Garden Club, C/O Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation, P.O. Box 161, Union City, MI 49094.
Please visit www.lighthousefuneral.com to share memories, pictures and videos with the family.
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