Individual Details

Find A Grave Memorial# 111235020
Times Record (Fort Smith, AR) - Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Carolyn June Hays Staggs was called to sing in Heaven's choir on Sunday, May 26, 2013, after a brief illness. She was surrounded by family. Carolyn was born Jan. 7, 1942, the middle child to Paul West Hays Sr. and Mattie Leone Hays between her older brother, Paul West Hays Jr. and younger sister, Jo Etta Hays Summerhill.
Funeral will be 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 at Ocker Funeral Home in Van Buren with Pastors Steve Matthews and Gary Deffenbaugh officiating. Burial will be at Peeveyhouse Cemetery in Van Buren under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home in Van Buren.
Always a tomboy and country girl at heart, she was an avid and skilled horsewoman for many years. She was also blessed with a beautiful voice and was always much in demand as a vocalist. She was the choir director at Rena Road Baptist Church, where she shared her gift of music and her love with her Lord and with her church family.
While in high school, she began working at Hays & Graham Women's Clothing Store as a sales clerk. After high school, she declined the offer of a music scholarship to Arkansas Tech University in favor of remaining close to home. Shortly thereafter, she began to work in the office of the Co-Op Feed Store in Van Buren where she met her future husband, Jess Staggs. After dating for only two months, they were married. Carolyn and Jess were married from June 1, 1962, until Oct. 17, 2006, when Jess passed away.
They had two children, Michelle Denise of Little Rock and Stephen Boyd of Van Buren. Stephen has two daughters, Allison Nikole and Ashleigh Victoria. Allison is married to Jason Testerman with her Mamaw's two great-grandchildren, Jaxton Boyd and Adyson McKenzee. They are currently in San Diego. Ashleigh is a college student who lives in Van Buren.
In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she is survived by her older brother, Paul Hays and his wife Sharon and her younger sister, Jo Etta Summerhill and her husband Paul. She is also survived by a multitude of nieces, nephews and cousins but remained particularly close to her nieces, Clair Mays of Arkadelphia, Alisa Schaberg of Fort Smith, Courtney Summerhill of Van Buren and her nephew, Brian Summerhill of Van Buren.
Pallbearers will be Brian Summerhill, Art Anderson, Johnny Loftin, Ken Matthews, Jim Atchison and Rick Mays.
Honorary pallbearers will be Eula Armstrong, Paul Summerhill, Mac Anderson, Burel Schaberg, Craig Henderson and the choir members of the Rena Road Baptist Church.

Birth	7 Jan 1942	Crawford County, Arkansas
Marriage	15 Jun 1962	Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas - Jessie Boyd Staggs
Death	26 May 2013	Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas
Burial		Peevyhouse Cemetery, Crawford County, Arkansas

Spouse	Jessie Boyd Staggs (1939 - 2006)
Child	Living
Child	Living

Father	Paul West Hays (1908 - 1994)
Mother	Mattie Leone Willis (1913 - 2006)
Sibling	Living
Sibling	Living