Dolores Morris Hayward

Dolores Morris Hayward, born April 4, 1932 in Atlanta, GA, the daughter of Marian England Morris and Marion Morris, passed away peacefully in her sleep at the Cumming Health & Rehabilitation Center in Cumming, GA on January 9, 2024 at the age of 91.  She is preceded in death by her parents, brother George Morris, husbands Stephen F. Kost, Jr. and George W. Hayward.  She is survived by her children, Jeffrey J. Kost, Christian A. Kost, Bonnie Mary Malmin, and Daniel Charles Hayward, six grandchildren, a niece and nephew, and many cousins and step grandchildren.

Born in Atlanta during the Depression, she relocated at the young age of 5 with her family to Connecticut in search of better opportunities.  She grew up in Fairfield, CT and attended Grasmere Grammar school and then Roger Ludlow High School.  After high school graduation she attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY and graduated with a BA in English.  This served her well throughout her life with her excellent writing skills.  After graduating college, and working for a brief period of time, she married and began life as a mother and homemaker.   After raising her first three children her life took a turn and her marriage with Stephen Kost ended.  After a few years she met and married George Hayward, a Presbyterian minister, and began a new life, returning to her roots in Georgia.  

Dolores and George had a child, Daniel, in 1970.  A few years later, after settling into their home in Tucker, GA, in 1974 her life took another turn with the sudden death of George.  She then found herself to be a widow and a single mother.  She worked hard to maintain a household to raise her son.  In 1976 she decided to enter Theological Seminary and then moved onto being a substitute minister in the North Georgia Region.  Then her life took another unexpected turn in the early 80’s and she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  By the grace of God, she beat the odds and became a cancer survivor.  She then moved into the workforce and joined Rollins Corporation where she worked until her retirement in 1994.  Also, in 1994 her son, Jeff, moved to Georgia with his family.  After building their home in Cumming, GA, Dolores moved in with them in an apartment in the home.  She remained there until Jeff and family moved to a larger home.  Not continuing with the apartment concept, Jeff provided her with a newly built home in Cumming where she lived from 2002 through 2022.

In 2022 she required more care than what she could get at home and became a resident of the Cumming Health & Rehabilitation Center in Cumming.  The great staff there provided her with a peaceful and supportive life.  In August 2023, as her care needs increased, she began receiving excellent end-of-life care from Longleaf Hospice which provided additional medical support, social support, and comfort until her passing.

Later in life, a very close friend from her youth in Connecticut who became her life-long friend, after reading a passage from the southern author Rhonda Rich, said to her “….I just realized you are a real Georgia girl!❤”  Dolores took that to heart and wrote her own passage in response……..

“Yes, I’m southern born but not raised.  It was a task that Yankees had to shake the south out of me!  It didn’t work but I appreciate the northern born chums I have to this day.  My one confession is that I didn’t live or grow up on a farm.  Afterall, our land began as agricultural success with quaint tales spun into “Life on the Prairie”.  Nope – in comparison I was a city girl, always living near a major city and its opportunities – Bridgeport, CT, NYC, Atlanta, GA, and college (4 years) living in Saratoga Springs, NY.  I never became a horse racing aficionado.  I was too committed to getting my BA degree in English.  I can still “speak southern”. “y’all”.  I know where “over yonder” is and I can “fetch” my groceries @ Kroger or Publix – “blessing your heart”

Dolores was a Godly, strong, woman who approached life with an “unwavering passion for the things she loved. Her greatest joy in life was spending time with her family. She loved cooking, singing, gardening, bird watching, exercising, and entertaining with family & friends.  While living in Cumming she was a faithful member of Parkway Presbyterian Church and was actively involved in Bible Study Fellowship and numerous church activities including being a Deacon. Dolores was a true Child of God.  Her faith was very important and very strong.  She was dedicated to Christ and loved sharing her devotion with others.

Dolores was a kind and caring person who was loved by all who knew her.  She will be greatly missed by the many family members and friends whose lives she touched.

The family will have a public memorial service at Parkway Presbyterian Church in Cumming, GA on February 23, 2024 at 2:00PM.  Dolores will be interned at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut in a family burial plot.  There she will rest in peace with numerous family and friends.  The burial will take place later this year when it is warmer and the sun is high. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkway Church Pastor’s Benevolence Fund, 5830 Bethelview Rd., Cumming, GA 30040.  Ingram Funeral Home and Crematory Of Cumming is in charge of the arrangements.

Ingram Funeral Home and Crematory of Cumming is in charge of the arrangements.