Helen Elizabeth “Betty” Hailey

Helen Elizabeth “Betty” Hailey, 91, of Ottawa, Kan., formerly of Mt. Vernon, passed away Aug. 6, 2020, at Rock Creek of Ottawa. She was born Jan. 23, 1929, in Savannah, to Lloyd Amos and Leita Lucille (Osborn) Reece.
She moved to Mt. Vernon after the third grade. She graduated from Mt. Vernon High School and Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. In 1950, she married Robert Lynn Hailey, in Mt. Vernon, they were married nearly 58 years before his passing in 2008.
She is survived by: daughters, Nancy (Fred) Zinkgraf of New Braunfels, Texas and Susan (Preston) Knauf of Winter Haven, Fla.; sons, Russell (Diane) Hailey of Lawrence, Kan. and Mark (Pat) Hailey of Wake Forest, N.C.; 15 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by: her parents; husband; sisters, Marge Wynne and Evelyn Marr; and brothers, Harold, Wayne, and Glenn Reece.
A private family burial will be held Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Memorials may be made payable to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at www.FossettMosherFuneralHome.com.