Obituary for Sue Elizabeth Cross (Hays)
After a short illness, Sue Elizabeth Hays Cross, age 83 of Birmingham, AL, died on Thursday, March 5th, at Sardis Community Nursing Center in Sardis, MS. She was born on January 31st, 1937, in Oxford, MS to Doris Irby and Carlton Conner Hays, Sr.
Sue grew up in the Ballentine Community west of Sardis and graduated from Sardis High School in 1955 and Mississippi State College for Women in 1959. She majored in education and began her teaching career in Amory, MS. After her marriage to Hayes Royal Comfort on June 14, 1960, they moved to Gadsden, AL where she also taught school. After moving to Birmingham, she taught at L. M. Smith Elementary School for many years and after a successful teaching career retired from Pizitz Middle School in Vestavia. She not only taught her students but truly cared about them also. Just recently a student said, “I never had another teacher that challenged me to my full potential while caring deeply about me at the same time.”
Sue was an artist and an accomplished pianist, and after she retired from teaching, she worked at Threadbear Needlework Shop where she was able to use her artistic ability in helping customers with their needlework designs. Her own count cross stitch and needlepoint creations were works of art, and many, many friends and relatives were recipients of her intricately stitched masterpieces. She was still meeting for lunch once a month
with the friends she worked with at Threadbear.
Although Sue was a MSCW graduate, she adopted the University of Alabama after becoming an Alabama resident and became one of its most loyal fans. Everybody who knew her realized immediately that she was an Alabama fan, since she usually was wearing Alabama jewelry and clothing and driving a red car with a Bama tag. Not only was she proud of her adopted school, she was also proud of her country. That red car was always flying an American flag.
Sue joined the United Methodist Church in Sardis in her teens and was a faithful member of St. Johns United Methodist Church in Birmingham until it closed several years ago. She was currently a member of Huffman UMC. She shared her faith with both friends and strangers by giving them pocket crosses, mustard seeds and frogs (Fully Rely on God).
Her marriage to Hayes Comfort ended in divorce, and she and Joel Wayne Cross were married on August 22, 1977, at St. Johns UMC in Birmingham. Wayne was injured in a Labor Day boating accident in September 1980 and died after several weeks in the hospital.
Although Sue had no children of her own (baby boy Comfort was stillborn), she taught and mothered many, many students who considered her a part of their families. She also had a special place in her heart for her nieces and nephew. An animal lover, her Scotty terrier McBama was the light of her life.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her infant son and her husband Wayne Cross. Survivors include her brothers Will Hays (Martha) and Carlton Hays, Jr (Donna) both of Sardis and her nieces and nephew Elizabeth Hays Dean (Ed) Batesville, MS; Susan Hays Thompson (Keith) Mechanicsville, VA; Mary Hays Neal (Allen) Nixa, MO; Carlton Hays III (Amy) Sardis, MS and Julia Grace Hays Walker (Brown) MS, 35 great-nieces and nephews, and her beloved dog McBama.
Many thanks to Specialty Hospice and Sardis Community Nursing Center for the loving care and compassion she received from them in her last days. A memorial service will be held at Sardis United Methodist Church at 2:00 P. M. on Saturday, March 14th. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sardis United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 383, Sardis, MS 38666; Huffman United Huffman United Methodist Church
Sue grew up in the Ballentine Community west of Sardis and graduated from Sardis High School in 1955 and Mississippi State College for Women in 1959. She majored in education and began her teaching career in Amory, MS. After her marriage to Hayes Royal Comfort on June 14, 1960, they moved to Gadsden, AL where she also taught school. After moving to Birmingham, she taught at L. M. Smith Elementary School for many years and after a successful teaching career retired from Pizitz Middle School in Vestavia. She not only taught her students but truly cared about them also. Just recently a student said, “I never had another teacher that challenged me to my full potential while caring deeply about me at the same time.”
Sue was an artist and an accomplished pianist, and after she retired from teaching, she worked at Threadbear Needlework Shop where she was able to use her artistic ability in helping customers with their needlework designs. Her own count cross stitch and needlepoint creations were works of art, and many, many friends and relatives were recipients of her intricately stitched masterpieces. She was still meeting for lunch once a month
with the friends she worked with at Threadbear.
Although Sue was a MSCW graduate, she adopted the University of Alabama after becoming an Alabama resident and became one of its most loyal fans. Everybody who knew her realized immediately that she was an Alabama fan, since she usually was wearing Alabama jewelry and clothing and driving a red car with a Bama tag. Not only was she proud of her adopted school, she was also proud of her country. That red car was always flying an American flag.
Sue joined the United Methodist Church in Sardis in her teens and was a faithful member of St. Johns United Methodist Church in Birmingham until it closed several years ago. She was currently a member of Huffman UMC. She shared her faith with both friends and strangers by giving them pocket crosses, mustard seeds and frogs (Fully Rely on God).
Her marriage to Hayes Comfort ended in divorce, and she and Joel Wayne Cross were married on August 22, 1977, at St. Johns UMC in Birmingham. Wayne was injured in a Labor Day boating accident in September 1980 and died after several weeks in the hospital.
Although Sue had no children of her own (baby boy Comfort was stillborn), she taught and mothered many, many students who considered her a part of their families. She also had a special place in her heart for her nieces and nephew. An animal lover, her Scotty terrier McBama was the light of her life.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her infant son and her husband Wayne Cross. Survivors include her brothers Will Hays (Martha) and Carlton Hays, Jr (Donna) both of Sardis and her nieces and nephew Elizabeth Hays Dean (Ed) Batesville, MS; Susan Hays Thompson (Keith) Mechanicsville, VA; Mary Hays Neal (Allen) Nixa, MO; Carlton Hays III (Amy) Sardis, MS and Julia Grace Hays Walker (Brown) MS, 35 great-nieces and nephews, and her beloved dog McBama.
Many thanks to Specialty Hospice and Sardis Community Nursing Center for the loving care and compassion she received from them in her last days. A memorial service will be held at Sardis United Methodist Church at 2:00 P. M. on Saturday, March 14th. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sardis United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 383, Sardis, MS 38666; Huffman United Huffman United Methodist Church