Kathleen "Kathi" Hayes Nelson

Kathi Nelson passed peacefully at her home on March 23, 2022. Kathi was born as Kathleen Hayes in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona on December 24, 1943 to her parents Clarence E. Hayes and Norma Horsley Hayes.

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Kathi was a tom boy from day one which was a good thing as her parents didn’t have a son born until she was ten years old. Her dad had her driving a tractor when she was five, pulling a trailer so he could pitch feed to the cows and didn’t have to get off to move up. As she got older, she also plowed, cultivated, and pulled the seeder while her dad dumped in the seed. She loved horses and rode every time she got the chance. The family boarded horses for a time and it was her job to exercise them, and one was a pinto who had to do a little rearing every time before he settled down and she love that. She and her dad rode in the rodeo parade on separate horses when she was five in phoenix. She started helping her dad “work” on cars when she was two and had the cussing down good. They had a dairy while she was growing up and her first job was feeding the baby calves milk from a bucket with a nipple on it and then taught them to drink straight from the bucket. She and her sister Dorothy took turns with helping milk the cow’s morning and night.

They lived in several homes in the Phoenix area on Van Buren, 67th Avenue and Baseline Road. When she was seven, they bought their home on 75th Avenue and had that home until after tall the kids were grown.

Kathy attended Fowler Elementary School for first and second grade, then when they bought their home on 75th she attended Peoria Elementary School and High School. She loved sports and went to the state archery tournament her junior year and senior year. The first years she placed 67th out of 500 girls and the second year she placed 19th out of 500 girls. She was on the winning intramural teams in basketball, volleyball and won the intramural badminton championship.

She married Floyd Edward Williams on June 26th, 1962, moving to Colton, California. While living there, their two children, Gary Edward and Lisa Anne were born in the Loma Linda Hospital. After Lisa was born they moved back to the Peoria area. In 1969 they took a vacation to Utah and fell in love with the area. They moved to Utah in 1970 to Cedar City but work was scarce, and they moved to Washington, Utah and bought their first home. It was a small home only 500 sq ft but had a huge lot and they planned to add on later. They made many friends and became very active in the church, they served as activity leaders. Kathi served as homemaking counselor, taught Sunday school and primary at different times. During this time, they made many trips to Lake Powell with the ward, individually and with seven couples. They rented a houseboat for a week every year for five years and went out with the couples only and those were special times.

In 1985 they sold their home in Washington and moved to St. George. Kathi served in Relief Society, Young Women, Sunday School and Primary. She served 35 years as a visiting teacher and ministering sister. In 1987 she and Floyed divorced.

Kathi has held many jobs, she took in ironing, secretary in an insurance agency, made tents and sleeping bags, sewn clothing for others, grown houseplants for Kmart and Sears. She had a plant service, sold Fuller brushes, cleaned houses, managed a salon. She also worked for a cardiologist, managed a chiropractic office, and worked as a manager in a dental office for 20 years. She loved reading, crafts and for several years made her own Christmas cards, sewing and she love the Dallas Cowboys. She could and would talk NFL Football to anyone and everyone. She won several first place awards for sewing at the county fair. She loved Disneyland and made many trips there with family and friends, even organizing a trip with 20 couples from her ward and guided them throughout the park. She loved taking trips with the kids and played many silly games with them to pass the time while traveling.

Kathi married Brent Robert Nelson on July 1st, 1989, and surprise had Robert Hayes Nelson in 1991. She and Brent divorced in 1997, she and Brent moved to Arizona. She bought a home in rural Glendale, and they lived there until Rob was eighteen. She sold their home and she moved to Missouri in July of 2009 after she retired. She lived there until she had kidney failure and started losing her eyesight and eventually moved back to St. George. In her new ward she organized a Friendship Day where the sisters would meet one day a month and work on ward projects or their own projects. She loved people, loved life, and made friends everywhere she went.

Kathi is survived by her siblings; Dorothy Lynne Nelson, Anne Claire Palmer, John C Hayes and Becky Louise; her children; Gary Edward Williams, Lisa Anne Hacking, Robert Hayes Nelson; stepchildren; Sandra Orvin, Brenda Jackson, Lou Shane Nelson and Tamera Cox.

Also surviving are her grandchildren; Sean Daniel Williams, Landon Edward Williams, Talyn Nephi Williams, Tosha Hacking Slaughter, Devin James Hacking, Lindsay McKnight, Graeson Hawk Herring, Shelby Lynne Boyle, Christian Orvin, Chance Orvin, Calista Orvin, Ellie Orvin, Connor Hoff, Nathan Hoff, Abagail Hoff, Hannah Off, Cade Hoff. Surviving great grandchildren; Raice Williams, Hunter Williams, Teagan Hacking, Ryett Hacking, Dallas Slaughter, Kalaiah Williams, Raime’ Williams, Uriah Williams, and Maverick Golden.

Kathi is preceded in death by her parents Clarence and Norma Hayes.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 1:00 pm at the Latter-Day Saint Chapel, 1285 N. Bluff Street, St. George, UT 84770.

Services are under the direction of Affordable Funerals and Cremations, 157 E Riverside Drive, Suite 3A, St. George, Utah 84790