Betty G. Hays, 94, of Slater, passed away Monday, January 12, 2026 at Big Bend Retreat in Slater.
Funeral services will be Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 11:00 A.M. at First Baptist Church in Slater, with Rev. Robert Sisney officiating. Burial will be at 2:00 P.M. at Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville. Visitation will be Thursday from 10:00 until 11:00 A.M. at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Joe Kleine/Roscoe White Basketball Court at Slater High School or Big Bend Retreat in care of Weiker Funeral Home in Slater.
Born August 20, 1931 in rural Mount Sterling, Missouri, she was the daughter of the late Otto and Blanche Cox Thompson. On April 16, 1949 at the Gilliam Baptist Church, she married Guy F. “Bucky” Hays, Jr., and he preceded her in death on May 9, 2001.
She is survived by a son, Rick L. Hays and his wife Connie of Slater; seven grandchildren, Shaun Hays of Slater, Brett Hays and his wife Sarah of Lee’s Summit, Dustin Hays and his wife Kathleen of Ballwin, Missouri, Brody Hays, Emma Dawson, Deanna Giger, and Alicia McGary; six great-grandchildren, Cici Hays, Lane Hays, Sloane Hays, Chase Hays, Sophie Hays, and Gabriel White; a nephew, Jeff Thompson and his wife Leesa of Overland Park, Kansas; and nieces, Teresa Schieszer and Shelly Nowlin of Lee’s Summit, whom she thought of as her son and daughters along with her children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two sons, Scott Hays and Greg Hays and his wife Debbie; two brothers, Bobby Thompson and Jimmy Thompson; a sister Phyllis Thompson Schieszer; and a nephew, Robby Schieszer.
Mrs. Hays was a longtime faithful member of the First Baptist Church of Slater, and a founding member of the 401 Couples Club. She was a 1949 graduate of Gilliam High School. She started working at the Thompson Floral Shop with her brother Bobby in 1958. In September of 1961, she and Kathleen “Tootie” Officer purchased Thompson Floral, and Slater Floral was born. After serving the community for over sixty years, she retired in 2020. She was especially proud of being named the 2007 Slater Fall Festival Parade Marshal. She enjoyed watching her sons and grandchildren play sports, and taking family trips to Branson. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren affectionately called her “Bea Bea”. Betty will lovingly be remembered for unwavering faith and loving devotion to her family.