Margaret Maynard

Mrs. Margaret Hays Maynard, 81, of Bainbridge, GA, passed away Friday, April 4, 2008 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, GA. The memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. Monday, April 7, 2008 at First Presbyterian Church with Pastor Robert Baggs officiating. A private graveside service will be held at Hopeful Cemetery in Hopeful, GA. The family will receive friends Sunday, April 6, 2008 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Ivey Funeral Home and immediately following the Monday memorial service at First Presbyterian Church. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.iveyfuneral.com . In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Shotwell St., Bainbridge, GA 39819. Mrs. Maynard was born August 30, 1926 in Mitchell County, GA, the daughter of W. B. and Ethel Bullard Hays. She graduated from Hopeful High School and received Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from Florida State University and two specialist degrees from the University of Georgia. As a teacher, coach, and mentor at West Bainbridge and Bainbridge High Schools and later as the district school social worker, Mrs. Maynard played a profound role in the lives of countless Decatur County students and their parents. Following her retirement from education, Mrs. Maynard began a second successful career as a real estate broker. Equally significant was her role as benefactor and advocate for Bainbridge and Decatur County civic concerns. Mrs. Maynard was a patron of the arts serving for many years on the Board of Directors of the Bainbridge Little Theater and delighting theater goers with years of memorable stage performances. Her numerous social causes include establishing the first county clothing bank to assist families and their children; serving as chairman of the Decatur County Easter Seal Society and on the board of the Kidney Foundation, including the Cathy Harris Kidney Transplant Drive and the Send A Mouse to College initiative. She also played a pivotal role in the fund-raising efforts of the Decatur County YMCA. In recent years, her passion for gardening provided her with great happiness and the gratitude of those blessed to walk in her gardens. A nephew recently described her as the "original conservative feminist." Mrs. Maynard was the first Decatur County Republican Party female chair and played an important role in the direction of the local party. Those who had the privilege of knowing her agree that she was a great champion in all of her work of just causes and a dedicated advocate of the promise that education and opportunity offered to children. She is survived by her husband, Tom Maynard; her children, Mike (Linda) Maynard, Mouth-of-Wilson, VA, Peggy (Rick) Corbett, Canton, GA, Charles (Pam) Maynard, Navarre Beach, FL, and Suzanne (Ed) Auerbach, Pike Road , AL; her brother, Donald Hays of Hopeful, GA; her sister, Emmalou H. Lewis of Camilla, GA; 10 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Ellen Hays Parker, Climax, GA.