Dorothy E Hayes

She was born in La Crosse on October 15, 1925, the fourth of five daughters born to Edward and Juliana (Loomis) Lusk. She was raised on the family farm near St. Joseph Ridge and continued to assist her father on the farm as an adult. Dorothy married Otto E. Hayes on October 15, 1947, at St. Josephs Catholic Church, where she was a life-long, active member. Otto preceded her in death in 1972. She had been employed by the La Crosse Garment Co., which later became Jack Winters, for 31 years before retiring.

Dorothy was caring and kind-hearted. She was a gracious host to those who would visit her and always willing to do what she could to help others. Family and faith were of utmost importance to her. She loved to bake and enjoyed taking her baked goods along with her to visits with neighbors or to friends who were not well or in nursing homes, and also when she made her frequent visits to the sisters at Villa St. Joseph. She made care packages for several years for her son, Dan, and his fellow soldiers while they were serving in Viet Nam.

Dorothy was very well-known throughout the area for her wonderfully decorated wedding cakes and her beautiful artificial floral arrangements, which she made from wood fiber. She also loved being outdoors and tending to her flower garden.

Dorothy is survived by her sons, Stephen H. (June) Lusk of rural La Crosse, and Daniel P. (Janice) Hayes of Raleigh, N. Car.; her granddaughters, Bridget Hayes of Santa Rosa, Cal. and April (Gavin) Hayes, and their daughter, Madeline, of Denver, Colo.; her former daughter-in-law, Nancy Homstad of La Crosse; two sisters, Evelyn Burbach and Luella Pederson, both of La Crosse; sister-in-law, Melda Hayes of Coeur dAlene, Idaho; brother-in-law, Perry Hayes of Chippewa Falls, Wis.; many nieces and nephews; and numerous special friends. In addition to her husband, she was also preceded in death by two sisters and their husbands, Mary Ann Hickey and her husband, Argyle, and Agnes Wehrenberg and her husband, Jack; three additional brothers-in-law, Walter Burbach, Melvin Pederson, and George Hayes; and a sister-in-law, Marion Hayes.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday at 10:30 a.m., at St. Josephs Catholic Church on St. Joseph Ridge. Msgr. Michael Gorman will officiate. Burial will follow in St. Josephs Catholic Cemetery. Friends may call at the church on Wednesday from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m., where a rosary will be recited at 4:30 p.m., and again on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Memorials may be directed to St. Josephs Parish.



Dorothys family would like to thank Drs. Michael OBrien, Stephen Pavela, Robert Freedland, Thomas Loepfe, and Michael Schultz and his assistant, Kathy, at Mayo Clinic Health System, and also Dr. James Ringstrom at Gundersen Lutheran for the wonderful care they gave Dorothy. Also, special thanks to the staff at Hillview Health Care Center, especially the 400 and 100 wings, for all their care and concern, and to Rita Weber for her many visits and for bringing Communion to Dorothy.