Margaret Hay

MARGARET HAY, 92, died January 25, 2014 at Midland Care in Topeka, KS She was born September 10, 1921 in Salina, KS, the daughter of Thomas and Irene (Held) Cook. Margaret lived in Salina and Concordia before moving to St. Joseph, MO in 1927 with her family. She attended grade school and graduated from high school in St. Joseph. She then entered the University of Arkansas, graduating in 1943 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. Following graduation, she taught high school science until, in 1946, she received a National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis Scholarship that allowed her to enroll in a newly-formed physical therapy program at the KU Medical Center. She was always proud that she graduated in the second physical therapy class at KU. Thereafter, she worked as a physical therapist in Omaha and St. Joseph and at the KU Medical Center. She met Carl Hay one Saturday evening when she sold a sack of popcorn to him from a machine in front of Held’s Drugstore, a longtime Clay Center institution that was then owned by her parents. They married on November 5, 1949 in the United Methodist Church in Clay Center and then made their home in Clay Center. In the mid-1960s, Margaret began providing physical therapy services and consulting in Clay County as well as Cloud and Washington Counties and, in 1968, she instituted the Physical Therapy Department at the Clay County Hospital, where she worked until retiring in 1987. Margaret was a member of the Clay Center United Methodist Church and was active in many of its affiliated organizations. She was a member of the Clay Center chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, which she served in the early 1960s as worthy matron, and was also active in other Masonic organizations, particularly Rainbow for Girls. She was also active in the Clay Center Lioness Club and numerous other community women’s organizations. She was a proud alumna of Pi Beta Phi, her social sorority at the University of Arkansas. Carl preceded her in death on July 3, 1997. She was also preceded in death by a son David and her parents. Survivors: Son: Dick and wife Deanne Hay, Topeka KS Grandson: Bryan and wife Krystal Hay, Nashville, TN Funeral Services: Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 11:00 AM at the Clay Center United Methodist Church in Clay Center, KS Minister: Pastor Ryan Lynch Burial: Greenwood Cemetery, Clay Center, KS Respect calls: Friday, January 31, 2014 from 3-8 PM at Neill-Schwensen-Rook Funeral Home Memorials: Clay Center United Methodist Church c/o the funeral home