Ardis Angela (Reding) Hayes

Ardis Hayes, 99, (formerly of Lewes, Delaware) passed away peacefully on October 29 at Acts Manor House in Seaford, DE.

Born August 1, 1923, in Carroll, Iowa, Ardis was the oldest child of Archie and Freda (Lawrenz) Reding. The family lived in Iowa and South Dakota before settling in Minneapolis.

In the 1940s, Ardis worked as a cashier and occasional model at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A colleague introduced her to his brother, a Marine “flyboy” home on leave. John Hayes would become her loving husband of 61 years.

In 1963, they moved to Bethesda, MD, where they raised their seven children before moving to Ann Arbor, MI, where they lived for another 10 years. They returned to the East Coast in 1985, retiring in Georgetown, DE.

A working mom, Ardis enjoyed her career in bookkeeping and payroll at Sears for more than 15 years. She was an election volunteer and active in League of Women Voters and also as a Census taker.

She enjoyed chocolate, gardening, bowling, tennis, bicycling, beekeeping, sunbathing, shopping, travel, crosswords, Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, the movie “Dirty Dancing,” a gin and tonic in the summer and an Irish coffee in the winter.

Ardis was preceded in death by her husband John in 2009, her parents, and her two siblings Colonel Donald (“Sonny”) Reding and Lois Ann Langenwalter.

Left to celebrate and remember her nearly 100 years with us are her seven children: Anne (Jim) of Kensington MD; Mike (Judy) of Ocean View DE; Patrick of Coopersville, MI; Barbara McIlvaine (Doug) of Lewes, DE; Maura Dovel (Paul) of Gloucester, VA; Peter (Mia) of Washington DC; Sheila of Silver Spring MD; ten grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, her nieces and nephews, her extended family of loving caregivers at Acts Manor House, and all the family dogs who loved her.

A private family Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Michael the Archangel in Georgetown, DE, on Monday, November 7. Interment at Arlington National Cemetery will follow at a later date. The family is planning a celebration of Ardis’s life at Acts Manor House, also at a later date.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation in the name of Ardis Hayes be made to the Manor House Samaritan Fund in Seaford, De.

To donate by check: Manor House Samaritan Fund, 1001 Middleford Road, Seaford, DE 19973 in honor of Ardis Hayes.

Online donations in Ardis' name may be made by using the link below, or searching for "Acts Legacy Foundation Tribute Giving" and use their secure online donation page.  In the designation box online, click Other and use the drop-down arrow to select "Manor House Samaritan Fund".

https://www.actsretirement.org/acts-benevolence/acts-legacy-foundation-ways-to-give/support-acts-legacy-foundation/

Arrangements in the care of Short Funeral Services, Georgetown, Del. Online condolences are welcome for the family at www.shortfuneralservicesandcremation.com