Lorna June Hayden passed away on September 1st, 2020, in her home in Richland, WA at the age of 96 after a life well lived. She was one of the warmest and most giving people you knew, a woman full of more love than you’d ever think possible with a ready smile and a kind word for everyone she met.

Lorna was born in 1924 in the small town of Appleton, Minnesota to Josephine and Floyd Mills, and was the middle child between older brother Lee and younger brother Floyd. After graduating from high school, Lorna attended St. Cloud State College and later the University of Minnesota to earn her teaching degree. She got to teach “country school” in a one room school house, starting each winter day by kindling the fire in the wood stove. Then her adventurous spirit took her to Germany to teach children at American military bases. While there, she got to tour Europe and made memories that she shared her whole life. When she returned to the States, she got a teaching job in Roseburg OR, before moving to Kennewick to teach 5th grade at Washington Elementary. It was in Kennewick that she met her future husband and life-long partner Ken Hayden, who had moved to Richland from Coeur d’Alene ID to work at the Hanford site. They were married soon after and enjoyed going camping and on other trips with Ken’s sister and her husband Joyce and John Wick. Eventually, they started a family, having 3 sons, Barry, Greg, and Randy who were the center of her life. Lorna gave up teaching to raise her boys and was the best mom anyone could hope for. She packed lunches every morning, led Cub Scout groups, and made home-made pizza every Sunday for her family. She was full of encouragement, instilling her kids with the confidence to do anything they set their minds to.

Lorna lived life to the fullest, staying active and involved with the people she loved to the very end. She and Ken and their closest friends were avid square dancers, spending many Saturday nights at the Hoedown Center and Labor Day weekends at Camp Wooten dancing. Lorna also trained herself to be a round dance cuer and travelled around Eastern Washington cueing for many different dance clubs. She loved gardening and had the most beautiful back yard full of petunias, roses, and strawberries. She also enjoyed bowling and was participating in a league well into her 80s. She was an active and long time member of Central Church in Richland and spent many years singing with the Windsong Choir, as well as volunteering to be a listening ear at the youth drop-in center.

Her passion was her family. She made many trips back to Minnesota to visit her brothers and her nephews, nieces, cousins, and other relatives living there. Her daughters-in-law Sherry, Lori, and Anette became the daughters she never had. Lorna even took Norwegian lessons to be closer to Anette who had just moved from Norway. Her grandchildren were the joy of her life and she didn’t miss a single football game, soccer game, gymnastics meet, music recital, dance performance, birthday, or any other activity involving her grandkids. She made memories with them singing together on her player piano, taking them to the neighborhood pool, playing old maid and laughing when she somehow always got stuck with it, reading stories, and making the cookies and homemade rolls and jam that they loved. Even when walking became difficult, she would make the effort to be with her grandkids. She will leave a big hole in all our lives.

Lorna is survived by her husband Ken, brothers Lee and Floyd, sons Barry (Sherry), Greg (Lori), Randy (Anette), grandchildren Chris, Alyx (Chris), Noelle (Will), Nick, Noah, Tove, and Magnus, great grandchildren Kaylee and Emma and her nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank all the caregivers who helped Mom at the end. She had a peaceful passing after getting to see all of her family members gathered around her. She had a strong faith in Jesus and is now at rest with Him.

A viewing open to the public will be held from 10 to noon, Saturday Sept. 5th, at Einan’s Funeral Home in Richland. There will be no service at this time due to health restrictions.