Jessie Hayden

Jessie P. Hayden was the oldest of two children born to Enoch and Melissa Carson on October 11, 1920 in Overthrop, Georgia. She departed this life on Wednesday, August 27, 2014.
Jessie received her early education in Macon, Georgia and attended high school in Fort Valley, Georgia where she lived doing the week and came home on the weekends, holidays and summers.
Jessie moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where she met her loving husband, Booker T. Hayden. They were united in holy matri- mony on June 23, 1942. Together, Booker and Jessie raised six children: Archie, Leon, Martharita, Thomas, Gwendolyn and Anita. On June 20, 1992, they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary where they reaffirmed their devout love and com- mitment to each other and to their family.
During the war years, Jessie worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to help fulfill her commitment to the war effort. She worked for 18 years at Longview State Hospital where she was a supervisor and served as a role model to the younger employees in the Dietary Department until she retired.
Jessie joined Gaines United Methodist Church, “the friendly little church” where she was a very faithful member. She served in the Esther Sub Group, United Methodist Women, Church Women United and Prime Timers until her health failed. It could be heard around church, I wonder if Ms. Hayden is going to cook her famous rolls or bake a cake or what she would surprise them with because she was a great cook.
She worked along side her husband in many community acti- vities concerning children, such as boy scouts, brownies, girl scouts, girls assembly, knothole baseball, just to name a few, and the whole family was involved.
Jessie enjoyed her life to the fullest. She enjoyed cooking for her family and could be heard singing her songs, most of which were gospel and hymns, but every once in a while she would throw in some blues or jazz. She was very involved and devoted in all aspects of her children and grandchildren lives from educa- tion, to social, to discipline and instilled in them the value of family, church and true friendship.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Booker T. Hayden; her father, Enoch Carson; her mother, Melissa Carson; two sons, Thomas and Leon; and her loving brother, Willie.
In passing, she leaves to mourn: one son, Archie (Elizabeth) Hayden of Cincinnati, OH; three daughters, Martharita (Clarence) Nailon of Cincinnati, OH, Gwendolyn Laury of Baton Rouge, LA and Anita Hayden of Richmond, TX; 15 grandchildren, Shelia Hayden, Shaunda Hayden, Sherri Hayden, Archie Hay-den, Jr. of Cincinnati, OH, Nicole Hayden, Latoya Hayden, Leon C.T. Hayden, Dominique S.D. Hayden of Chicago, IL, Mallory Gordon, Derrick Broach of Cincinnati, OH, Theresa Hayden, Thomas Hayden of Cincinnati, OH, Jeremy Laury, Christopher Laury of Baton Rouge, LA and Randy Vest of Richmond, TX; 14 great-grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; one sister-in-law, Daisye Carson of Chicago, IL; two daughters-in-law, Mary Hayden of Chicago, IL and Debra Woolford of Cincinnati, OH; many nieces and nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.