Oleeta Jeanne Hays received her heavenly reward on Aug. 5, 2025, at the age of 81. She was a pioneer in the field of behavioral health, a registered psychiatric nurse and a prolific poet and writer. The first in her family to attend college, she graduated with degrees in psychology and English from the University of Alabama. She was a lifelong learner, and even in her final days was pondering quantum physics and challenging the minds of her new friends in assisted living. Her life was never easy and often lonely, but she never let that dim her light or weaken her resolve to solve the world’s mysteries.
She is survived by two sons, Eric and Shelly Haskins; three grandchildren, Brandi, Ethan and Peyton Haskins; and two brothers, Sherman and Robert Hays. She was preceded in death by her brother, Oliver Hays; her father, Fred Oliver Hays; her mother, Frances Jewell Hays; and her sister, Alice Thrasher.
The heavenly choir just gained another alto and rest assured she is rejoicing in all the newly revealed secrets of life and the universe that she spent her life pursuing.
There will be a private family service.
