Margaret Lavern Hayden-Willings

Published 8:32 am Monday, January 16, 2023

Margaret Lavern Hayden-Willings

October 7, 1939 – December 10, 2022

Margaret Lavern Hayden-Willings was born on October 7, 1939 to James and Anna Laura Hayden near Vandervoort, Arkansas. At age five, she and her brother Jimmie moved to Oregon with their parents and grandparents. They eventually settled in Lebanon, where Margaret graduated from Lebanon High School in 1957.

Margaret was married to Mel Dailey from 1960 to 1976 and they had two sons, Darren and Eric. She met her last husband, Dennis Willings, in 1978 and, after a wonderful courtship, they married in 1985 and lived in Bend and finally in Prineville.

After graduating from Oregon State University in 1977, Margaret began teaching language arts and speech communications at Redmond High School. She also coached the speech and debate teams there, and traveled with them around the state. Margaret was very proud of her students, as they won district, state and one national title.

Margaret loved to travel to different states and abroad. She and Dennis visited Alaska, Colorado, Mexico and Hawaii with their favorite being Kauai. They traveled the Road to the Sun in Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. She also took trips with dear girlfriends to Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, including a river cruise through Holland, Germany and Budapest.

Margaret loved growing plants in her garden and house. She did crafts such as macrame, jewelry and gnomes. She also was a Mary Kay representative for 23 years. She was also a big Yankee baseball fan, taking after her father and brothers. She also supported the Oregon State Beavers.

Margaret is survived in death by her husband, Dennis and sons Darren and Eric; younger brothers Ron and Rick Hayden; grandchildren Katie Dailey, Matt and Julie Pollock and Aaron Dailey as well as fifteen grandchildren.