Mary Hazeldine Layl Green

Mary Hazeldine Layl Green, 93, of Paragould, died, February 6, 2013 at Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Mrs. Green was born April 3, 1919 in Pocahontas, Arkansas to loving parents Charlcie Charlotte Haynes Layl and Robert Newton Layl. She grew up in Pocahontas and was a member of the First Baptist Church where she professed faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior at an early age. Hazeldine was active in all areas of her church and youth group. Upon graduation from Pocahontas High School in 1936, she attended Arkansas State College, Arkansas Tech, and graduated from State Teachers College of Conway with a degree in Vocational Home Economics. Mrs. Green's teaching career began at Lakeside High School. After only one year, she left Lakeside to start the Home Economics department at Paragould High School. In 1968, Mrs. Green was elected state President of the Home Economics section of the Arkansas Education Association where she helped edit a teacher resource book on clothing. During her career at Paragould High School, her students were selected to be state Presidents of the Future Homemakers of America organization five different years. The prestigious Memphis Cotton Carnival saw Mrs. Green's students consistently winning first place honors with garments they had made in her class and modeled in the Cotton Carnival style shows. Students from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi competed for these honors at the Cotton Carnival. Hazeldine was a former member of the B & PW Club of Paragould, Music Club, Trellis Garden Club and Alpha Tau Zeta Sorority at Arkansas State College. Her teaching career started at Lakeside High School and also included one year at Oak Grove, two years at Greene County Tech High School, and thirty one years at Paragould for a total of thirty five years. She retired from teaching in 1978 and was recognized as one of the top five Home Economics teachers in the entire state of Arkansas. Her students loved, respected, and honored her by keeping in contact and visiting her through the years, which meant so very much to her. Truly called to the teaching profession, Mrs. Green loved her students as much as they loved her. After retirement, Hazeldine and Euclid enjoyed several wonderful years of extensive travel together. They never knew a stranger and made many new and lasting friendships during these tours. The Greens visited interesting sights in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Cuba. England was among their favorites, and their last trip to London with Reg was especially meaningful. Hazeldine was a long time member of the First Baptist Church in Paragould, where she served as pianist, taught in Vacation Bible School and taught several age groups in Sunday school. One of her favorite responsibilities there was enrolling the newborn babies in the Cradle Roll department. She always loved little children. She also greatly enjoyed visiting the shut-ins to determine their needs for help. In 1994, after much prayer, she became a member of First United Methodist Church in Paragould to be with her husband Euclid, and joined the Homemakers Sunday school class and the T. T. McNeal Circle. Mr. and Mrs. Green were members of the Arkansas Methodist Medical Foundation and Founders Circle members of the Endowment Foundation of Greene County. Their hearts were always in the right place, giving and extending a helping hand to those less fortunate and thinking of others before themselves. Mrs. Green was preceded in death by her devoted and loving husband of 63 years, Robert Euclid Green, whom she married April 16, 1944. They had one son whom they adored, Robert Euclid "Reg" Green Jr. who also preceded her in death in 1982. Other immediate family members preceding her in death were her parents, and her only sibling and brother, Dr. Billie Bob Layl of Piggott, AR. Following the death of their son, the Greens established the Reg Green Memorial Scholarship Fund for deserving students from any Greene County High School to attend Arkansas State University. They took great pleasure and experienced much joy and peace watching the young scholarship recipients and their families benefit from the blessings of the scholarships they were awarded. The scholarship fund continues today as a testament of their commitment to the higher education of the youth of Greene county. Mrs. Green is survived by her cousins, Mary Lee Haynes of Arlington, VA., and Jimmy Barden and his wife Mel of Pleasantville, N.Y. She is also survived by her niece, Charlotte Layl Ball and her husband Fred of Dallas, TX.; her nephews, Donald Webb Green II and his wife Kathy of Plano, TX; and Gordon Ray Green and his wife Beverly of Mandeville, LA. and many precious great nieces and nephews. Also surviving is her sister-in-law, Emma Jean Layl of Dallas, TX, formerly of Piggott, AR. and her dearly beloved friend, Millie Fleeman and her husband Don of Paragould whose unconditional love and constant devotion to Mrs. Green is truly a picture of the hands and feet of Christ. The family would like to extend their sincere and heartfelt thanks to Charles and Jan Long of Paragould. Uncle Euclid was certainly a discerning judge of character and integrity in choosing Charles to watch over Hazeldine after his death. The unselfish availability and loving attention with which he faithfully kept his promise to Mr. Green will always be gratefully remembered by the entire family. The family also wishes to deeply thank Minnie Blackburn, Millie Free, Marilyn Mitchell, Mary Shotts, and Kenna Harrelson who so faithfully and lovingly cared for Hazeldine the past few years. They have truly been angels and we appreciate them more than they will ever know. We also wish to thank Brian Rega, Tammy Fivecoat, and the caring staff of St. Bernard's Village in Jonesboro where the Greens happily lived for several years. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to The Reg Green Memorial Scholarship Fund, P. O Box 667, Paragould, AR, 72451-0667, or to The Layl Memorial Scholarship Fund, United Methodist Foundation of AR., 5300 Evergreen Drive, Little Rock, AR. 72205 in memory of Hazeldine Layl Green. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 8, 2013 from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Paragould with the funeral service beginning at 11 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Heath Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements with burial in the family plot in Linwood Cemetery. "Death is not the end....It is the real beginning. Death is not the final destination. It is the gateway to Eternity." .... Barbara Ryan