Mary Lou Middleton
Memorial celebration at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at Butterfield Trail Village Convocation Center in Fayetteville, with graveside service at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Maplewood Cemetery; arrangements are with Moore's Chapel in Fayetteville.
Mary Lou Hayes Middleton, of Fayetteville, left this life and stepped into Glory on Thursday, Oct. 17 (2019). She was born Feb. 4, 1927, in Green Forest, to Chauncey L and Violet Walker Hayes.
After the Hayes canning works closed, she lived with her family in Eureka Springs, where her father managed a farm, then they lived in Berryville. After that they made their first move to Harrison, living in two different homes where her father began working for Arkansas Power and Light. Next was the town of Leslie, where her dad was the manager of the town electrical generating plant. After thatm the family moved to Batesville. As a manager there, Mary Lou’s father was killed in an electric line accident when she was 13. After that tragedy, they moved back to Harrison.
Mary Lou’s mother Violet began working for AP&L in Harrison, and Mary Lou and her brother Chauncy both graduated from Harrison High School. During her senior year, she was voted as State President of the Arkansas FHA (Future Homemakers of America) and was also Drum Major for the Goblin band. In addition, she was a delegate to Girls’ State, in the first year of that program.
After graduation, she attended Hendrix College in Conway for a year, then moved to Washington DC to work for a year after an invitation from her cousin.
Upon her return to Harrison, she met John Paul Middleton, recently returned from World War II with a Purple Heart. On Aug. 30, 1949, they were married at the First Methodist Church in Harrison.
The next move was to Fayetteville, where John Paul graduated with two degrees, then Mary Lou really began her married life. Their first job was in Wilson, followed by a move across the river to Memphis. Two sons, John and Jeff, were born there. The next stop was to Lake Jackson, Texas, with the Dow Chemical Company, where third son Kevin was born. Following seven years in Texas, there were moves to Tulsa, Oklahoma, (six years), back to Texas (Houston) six years, then to Midland, Michigan. After 10 years in Michigan, they retired to Fayetteville in 1986, living on Katherine Street before moving to Butterfield Trail Village in 2004. Also, in 1990, they spent four months in Riga, Latvia, where John Paul served as a volunteer business mentor. John Paul passed away in 2007 after 58 years of marriage.
Mary Lou was active in the United Methodist Church for years, working at a variety of women’s capacities, including as a Circle leader. She was a member of Central United Methodist Church. Through the years she also worked with various PTA’s, volunteered at the St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, worked at the local CEO in Fayetteville, and often hosted her PEO Sisterhood Chapter in her home.
Mary Lou and John Paul enjoyed traveling, especially many trips to England, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, traveling often with the 99th Infantry Division Association to World War II battlefields They also loved traveling to the western US and all over Michigan and Canada.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Chauncey; and her husband John Paul.
She is survived by her children John (Connie) of Lake Jackson, Texas and their children Amy (Austin) and Emily (Jonathan) of Texas, their son Jeff (Linda) of Harrison and children Melanie (Mark) Shearer, Marcena (Steve) Edmonson, Marquena (John) Carter, and Aaron (Melanie) Middleton, all of Harrison, and son Kevin of Jasper. She also has nine great-grandchildren: Paige, Kristopher, Jaden, and Maddie Ramsey, Zach Neer, McKenzie and Ethan Adams, and Meredith and Jacob Middleton. She also has one great-great-grandson, Pierce, and step-grandson Randall Youngblood (Ofel) of Washington, DC.
Mary Lou was a proud homemaker and an amazing cook. She loved most cooking for family get-togethers and for her church events. She was never afraid to try new things: deep sea fishing, snake killing, ice skating, cross country skiing, baking hundreds of pasties for her church bazaar, sliding into a giant enclosure of plastic balls with grandson Aaron at Silver Dollar City, using a computer, testing the airbags on her car on an ill-fated drive to Jasper as just a few examples. She finally met her match with cell phones!
Most of all she loved visiting and being visited by her children and grandchildren, cooking for them, playing games, reading to them and taking them shopping. And she loved all of her grand-dogs, especially Merlin, Buddy, Happy, Sarah, and Puppy!
Mary Lou was a Christian her entire life and her translation to Heaven is surely a glorious reunion.
A Memorial celebration will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at Butterfield Trail Village in Fayetteville at the Convocation Center. The Rev. Steve Pulliam will officiate. The graveside service will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Maplewood Cemetery, with Brother Claud Williams officiating, followed by a drop-in reception at First Baptist Church, Harrison in the Fellowship Hall. A slideshow of Mary Lou’s life will be shown.
Donations may be made to Central United Methodist Church of Fayetteville, a local PEO Chapter, your local animal shelter or rescue, or the charity of your choice.
