Ray Alvin Hasley, 68, passed away Nov. 20, 2017, at the Comfort House in Pella after a short battle with cancer.
Funeral services were held Nov. 24 at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home. Burial was in Highland Cemetery in New Sharon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ray and LeAnn Hasley Memorial for the Comfort House in Pella or a fund for a memorial at the Iowa State Fair in their names.
On Aug. 31, 1949, Ray Alvin Hasley was born to Floyd and Helen (McKibben) Hasley and raised outside of Searsboro. He was a lifelong resident of Searsboro, Lynnville, and New Sharon. Ray attended elementary school in Searsboro and was a 1967 graduate of Lynnville-Sully High School. He attended college at William Penn for a year and then Northeast Missouri State in Kirksville, MO, before marrying LeAnn Fox on Sept. 11, 1970. They were the proud parents of two children, Wesley Ray and Susan Renee. Ray farmed with his brother for several years before working and eventually owning the Lynnville Seed Company. His final years were spent working for Wehrle Trucking and Wehrle Farms.
Any given summer, you could find Ray and LeAnn camping at various campgrounds across the surrounding counties. They enjoyed camping with their friends and family, especially at the Iowa State Fair every August. Some activities Ray was known for were playing practical jokes, his excessive work habits, a sizeable garden with both early and late vegetables, driving slowly through the country looking for asparagus, berries, or just to catch up with a friend. Ray was a familiar face to so many dear friends both near and far.
Left to honor his memory are his daughter Susan Lyons, her husband Mike and four grandchildren: Payton, Karsyn, Kyler, and Keegan; his siblings, Mary Jo (Raymond) Watson, Barbara (Gene) Long, Carolyn Jontz, Wayne (Ruth) Hasley; brother-in-law, Gene (Kathy) Fox; a special aunt, June Williams, with whom he shared his bountiful garden; along with many nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, LeAnn, in 2009; his son, Wesley, in 2016; his parents, Floyd and Helen; a sister, Eleanor; his mother-in-law, Colleen Fox; his father-in-law, Wayne Fox; step-mother-in-law, Dorothy Fox; brother-in-law, David Jontz; nephew, Kevin Long; nephew-in-law, John Rockwell; and niece-in-law, Shelly Long.
