Helen Seal Hayes

Mrs. Helen Seal Hayes, 89, of Mount Airy, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 14, 2013, at her residence in the Skilled Nursing Unit at Northern Hospital of Surry County. Mrs. Hayes was born July 3, 1924, in Surry County, the daughter of the late William Alonzo and Ella Haymore Seal. Helen met the love of her life, Foxie Marshall Hayes, and they were married June 12, 1943. After several years of marriage, Helen and Foxie were blessed with two children, Phyllis and David. In the early 50s, the Hayes family moved to northern Virginia. Even though it was hard leaving family and friends behind, it provided an opportunity to meet wonderful, new friends. Most of these friends were individuals from Ox Hill Baptist Church in Chantilly, VA. Helen and her family were charter members of Ox Hill and were so proud when the little mission, which started in a firehouse, grew into a church. After her husband's death in 1972, she went to work at IBM in Manassas, VA. She later transferred to the new IBM facility in Charlotte in the early 80s. After five years with IBM, she retired and moved to Wilmington. The joy of her life was her grandchildren, David Edward and Molly Renee. David was born in 1986, a little redheaded boy that looked so much like his grandfather. Molly came along four years later - the beautiful, caring, perfect granddaughter. In the early 90s, Helen decided it was time to return to her roots and she relocated to Pilot Mountain. This provided an opportunity for her to reconnect with lots of cousins and friends that she had not seen for years, especially her Aunt Lizzie and Aunt Josie. Ridgecrest Retirement Community was her next stop, and again she was able to make new friends and reconnect with individuals from her past. Two years ago, she was fortunate enough to be able to become a resident of the Skilled Nursing Unit at Northern Hospital of Surry County. She felt blessed to be there and had wonderful care. Even though there were numerous health challenges, there were always blessings to be found. She is survived by a daughter, Phyllis Hayes of Clifton, NJ; a son and daughter-in-law, David Marshall and Virginia Hayes of Hillsville, VA; two grandchildren, David Edward Hayes of Charlotte and Molly Renee Hayes Welch and her husband, David, of Trinity; a stepgrandson, Ethan Hawks of Hillsville, VA; a sister, Bessie Johnson of Mount Airy; a brother and sister-in-law, Cecil Seal, Sr. and Margaret Seal of Wilmington; several nieces and nephews; and a special aunt, Elizabeth Hawks of Mount Airy. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Hayes was preceded in death by her husband, Foxie Marshall Hayes; three brothers, Herman Seal, Oliver Seal, and Roger Seal; a half-sister, Alice Horton; and a half-brother, Robert Seal. The funeral service will be held Wednesday, December 18, 2013, at 1:00 PM at Antioch Baptist Church, with the Rev. Joel Stephens and the Rev. Grady Nowell officiating. Burial will follow in the Ladonia Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home in Mount Airy, where her body will remain until carried to the church to lie-in-state 30 minutes prior to the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Westfield Baptist Church, 6713 Westfield Road, Westfield, NC 27053; Ox Hill Baptist Church, 4101 Elmwood Street, Chantilly, VA 20151; or a charity of choice.