Adelaide "Dee" E. Hayes, 80, of Gainesville died Saturday December 23, 2023. Dee was born on March 15, 1943, in South Carolina.
She was a retired Construction Superintendent and Estimator with Carroll Daniel Construction and Suitt Construction.
Dee was dedicated to preserving history and made a significant contribution to her time and effort in this endeavor. She spent many years and even made rare overnight trips away from home to research her own family genealogy, eventually along one family line she was able to connect her family ancestry to the Mayflower passengers. She was involved in local history in this community she "adopted" in her mid 30s. Dee was a member of Hall County Historical Society and was a member and served as secretary for many years with Northeast Georgia Historical Society and Genealogical Society.
She was a founding member and secretary of the Stone Rangers, a group dedicated to locating abandoned cemeteries in Hall and surrounding counties to help preserve old cemeteries. Dee and other members of the group attended numerous county commission and DOT planning meetings to let officials know that people were watching. This political effort was done in addition to partaking in cleaning and restoration of historic cemeteries in the area.
She spent many years working Saturdays at Suburban Lawn and Garden in Clermont as well as her personal greenhouse. She was a rockhound and talented artist.
She is preceded in death by her husband Claude Brown Hayes.
She is survived by her longtime friend, Jack C. Myers of Gainesville whom she has been friends with since 1978. Friends Tom and Anna Bowen of Clermont and Vicki Bently of Flowery Branch, and many other friends, her loving dog Katie who will live out her life in Jack's care.
Visitation will be Wednesday December 27, 2023, from 2-3 p.m. at Little & Davenport Funeral Home, graveside services will follow at Alta Vista Cemetery, Rev. John Herberger officiating.
Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com
Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway, SW, Gainesville, Georgia 30501 is in charge of the arrangements.
