Genevieve (Genny) Hay, 105

Genevieve (Genny) Hay of Lake in the Hills passed away Sept. 14 at the age of 105 at Journey Care in Barrington.

She was born in Crystal Lake, on Nov. 3, 1917, the daughter of Glen Joseph (Joe) Ober and Vina Gertrude (Sarbacker) Ober. She had one brother, Glen Ober.

As growing up she lived in Twin Lakes, Wis., with relatives as her mother died at an early age. She also lived in Woodstock and Crystal Lake. She graduated from the class of 1937 Crystal Lake Community High School and attended her 50th class reunion on Aug. 1, 1987, at the John Evans Inn in Crystal Lake.

She had a blind date with her soon-to-be husband (Arnie) at the McHenry Roller Rink. She married her husband, Arnold (Arnie) F. Hay Sr., on Sept. 20, 1941, St. Mary’s in McHenry. She lived in Woodstock in a house her husband built for them and raised four children, Kathryn (Cross) Cassidy, Marilyn (Johnson) Christie, Barbara Reese, and Arnold Hay Jr. She has five grandchildren, Steve Cross, Bob Cross, Bill Christie, Justin Green, and Ryan Reese; along with three great-grandchildren, Riley Cross, Laney Cross, and Dillan Cross. For the last six years she lived with her daughter, Kathy, in Lake in the Hills.

Genny was a kind, caring, wonderful, thoughtful mother and grandmother and loved her family dearly, including her nieces and nephews, and was loved in return. She had a sweet tooth and loved her chocolate and hot fudge ice cream sundaes at McDonald’s. She enjoyed taking pictures of the family through the years and enjoyed taking her children to Lake Geneva, Wis., swimming over the years. She loved her dog, “Bogey,” a white Bichon poodle that would follow her around everywhere. When living with her daughter, she had a cute little black-and-white cat she named “Bootsie” she adored also. She enjoyed playing cards, pinochle and canasta, with family and friends.

Genny once worked as a veterinary assistant and a medical assistant. After her children grew up, she took a train into Chicago to take classes to be a nurse’s aide. She then became a home care and a medical assistant.

She loved the Chicago Cubs baseball team. On her 100th birthday, she received a letter from the Chicago Cubs executive chairman, Tom Ricketts, wishing her a happy birthday. She and her husband went out on the town and swing danced; they loved dancing. She was an excellent sewer and made many of her own clothes and for others. She also enjoyed doing crafts; enjoyed visiting her children who lived in Florida; enjoyed going out to eat with friends; and learned to enjoy stock car racing with her husband, as he was a car fan. In his eyes, you had to be a fan of Fords only.

Preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Vina Ober; her husband, Arnold Hay Sr.; her brother, Glen Ober; a niece, Susan Hay; a brother-in-law, John “Jack” Hay; a daughter-in-law, Joann Hay; and many other in-laws in the Hay family and in the Ober family.

Survived by her loving children, Kathy Cassidy of Lake in the Hills, Marilyn Christie (Chris) of St. Petersburg, Fla., Barbara Reese of Largo, Fla., and Arnold Hay Jr. (Joanne) of Grant-Valkaria, Fla.; grandchildren, Bob Cross (Erin) of Woodstock, Steve Cross of Missouri, Bill Christie of Treasure Island, Fla., and Justin Green of Weeki Wachee, Fla.; great-grandchildren, Riley, Laney, and Dillan Cross of Woodstock; and many nieces and nephews of Illinois and Wisconsin that she adored.

Her dedication to her family and friends will be forever treasured, and her memory will live in the hearts of all who knew her.

Visitation will be Monday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral service at the Schneider, Leucht, Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098.

For information, call 815-338-1710 or visit slmcfh.com.