Mary Eloise Hayden

Mary Eloise Hayden, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, accomplished designer, musician, and longtime member of the Arlington and Granbury communities, passed away on August 18, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. She was 93 years old.

Mary was born on October 18, 1932, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Louis John Svach and Emma Mollie Lesovsky. Proud of her Czech heritage throughout her life, Mary grew up in Omaha and learned at an early age the importance of family, perseverance, and making the most of every opportunity. When Mary was just nine years old, her father died of leukemia, a loss that became an important part of her early life.

Mary graduated from Omaha Technical High School in 1949 and continued her education at the University of Omaha, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953.

It was in Omaha that Mary met the man who would become her husband, William "Bill" D. Hayden. After Bill returned home from military service, the two met at a pancake breakfast held to welcome servicemen home. Their meeting marked the beginning of a marriage and partnership that would span more than six decades. Mary and Bill were married on June 20, 1953, in Omaha, Nebraska.

In 1958, Mary and Bill moved their family to Arlington, Texas, where they would make their home for the next 30 years. Arlington became much more than the place where they lived; it became a community in which Mary invested her time, talents, creativity, and heart. Following retirement, Mary and Bill moved to Pecan Plantation near Granbury, Texas. Bill remained there until his death in 2017, and Mary continued to call Granbury home until January 2026.

Travel was one of the great joys Mary and Bill shared. Beginning in 1971, they became part of the Lost Angels Flying Club, a group of private pilots and their families who traveled together on monthly trips throughout the country. Bill and other pilots would fly from destination to destination, creating years of adventures, friendships, and memories. Mary and Bill loved traveling together, and these trips became a special part of their life as a couple.

Mary had a lifelong love of learning and, years after earning her first college degree, returned to school to pursue another passion. In 1980, she graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. She later put her creativity and education to work by establishing her own interior design business, G & H Interiors, where she worked in residential interior design as well as on commercial projects. Mary had an eye for beauty and design, whether she was working on an interior, caring for her plants, arranging something in her home, or looking through the lens of a camera.

She loved photography and especially loved plants, gardening, and planting. There was always something satisfying to Mary about helping things grow and creating beauty around her.

Mary was also an avid bridge player. Bridge was more than a pastime; it was a source of friendship, fellowship, and enjoyment throughout her life. She continued playing all the way to the end. Her bridge circle connected her with many remarkable women over the years, including a member who would go on to become Arlington's first female city council member.

Music was another constant in Mary's life. She shared her musical talents at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington and First Presbyterian Church of Granbury, playing handbells as well as the recorder and piano. She enjoyed listening to classical music and was particularly fond of Scott Joplin and WRR Classical 101.1. Music filled both her home and her life and remained something she treasured through the years.

Mary was deeply civic-minded and believed in contributing to the communities around her. In Granbury, she was involved with Friends of the Library. In Arlington, she was active with Church Women United, where she joined other women in supporting civic causes while promoting Christian fellowship and values. She also served as March of Dimes Chairman in Arlington and volunteered at the Fielder Museum, giving her time to help preserve and share the history of the community she had grown to love.

For all that Mary accomplished, some of the family's most treasured memories are found in life's simplest traditions. Christmas and Thanksgiving were especially meaningful. The family fondly remembers traveling to Kansas during the holidays to visit Mary's mother and spending that time together. Mary also became known for making her homemade Chex Mix each holiday season and sharing it generously with family and friends. It was one of those small traditions that became unmistakably hers and will forever bring back memories of holidays spent together.

Light blue and pink were Mary's favorite colors, fitting choices for a woman who appreciated beauty in so many forms. Whether through her music, her plants, her photography, her design work, her community involvement, or simply gathering her family around her during the holidays, Mary brought creativity, curiosity, and purpose to her life.

Above all, Mary leaves behind a family shaped by the many years they shared with her and a legacy that extends through her children, grandchildren, great-grandchild, and generations to come.

Mary is survived by her sons, Mike Hayden and wife Juli of Euless, Texas, and Tom Hayden and wife Mary of Arlington, Texas; granddaughters, Tamara Chairez and husband Erik of Gainesville, Florida; Stacie Smith and husband Dr. Jamie Smith of Buena Vista, Colorado; Emma Boutet and husband Dr. Bruno Boutet of Grande-Digue, New Brunswick; and Rachel Hayden of Arlington, Texas; grandsons, Mike Hayden and wife Kirstin of Bryan, Texas, and Scott Hayden and wife Alexis of Columbia, Missouri; step grandsons, Wesley Spoonemore and wife Kayla of Fort Worth, Texas, and Preston Spoonemore and wife Mckenna of Euless, Texas; and great-grandson, Landon Chairez of Gainesville, Florida.

She is also survived by her nephew, Ray Svach, and niece, Margie Farris, along with their children, grandchildren, and extended families.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Hayden, in 2017; her parents, Emma Mollie Lesovsky and Louis John Svach; her stepfather, Orion Allen Kennedy; and her brother, Louis Svach, in 2025.

Mary's was a life of creativity, service, music, friendship, family, travel, and lifelong curiosity. From Nebraska to Texas, from a pancake breakfast that began a lifelong love story to decades spent building a home and life first in Arlington and later in Granbury, she filled her 93 years with experiences and relationships that will continue to be remembered by all who knew and loved her.

Family and friends are invited to gather for a memorial visitation on Sunday, September 20, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Wade Funeral Home. A memorial service celebrating Mary's life will be held on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Granbury, Texas. Mary will be laid to rest alongside her husband at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery following a graveside service on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 10:15 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Granbury in Mary's memory.