Born in Evanston, Illinois, Sister Joelyn Hayes was the third child of Lawrence and Marian Hayes, who created a loving family. Family life taught Joelyn many things, including learnings about cooperation, supportiveness, kindness, and hospitality.
Sheila and Mickey were Joelyn’s older siblings, and Denny was the youngest until Greg Hayes, her cousin, entered their family. When Greg’s parents were killed in a car accident when he was five years old, Joelyn’s parents took him into their family as one of their own. All of Joelyn’s siblings are in heaven now except Greg, who sees his sister regularly. He and his wife, Bonnie, love Joelyn dearly.
Sister Mary Roy McDonald, her eighth-grade teacher at St. Joseph School of Wilmette, was a major influence on her desire to enter the School Sisters of St. Francis after high school. Joelyn felt that she could be fulfilled and use her gifts in our community to make the world better. She wanted to be a teacher.
Joelyn is an inquisitive, intelligent person, who loves learning. After graduating from Alverno College, she went on to receive two master’s degrees: in English, from Marquette University, and in theology from Notre Dame. She used these degrees well as a high school English teacher and a religious education director for many years.
Joelyn loved every ministry in which she served, including teaching third grade her first year on mission and her years as a Provincial Treasurer in the Rockford Province. Joelyn always served our community well in whatever she was asked or elected to do, even writing a social analysis of our United States sisters.
Joelyn has had many friends over the years because she has been a supportive, loyal friend herself. She has enjoyed reading about various topics and writing all of her life. (She especially likes the restrictive format of the sonnet.) She loves dogs and has had many of them throughout her life. Her most recent one, Lovie, now lives with Greg and Bonnie.
On December 18, 2016, Joelyn experienced a devastating stroke, which left her right side impaired. At first, she received good care and therapies, but she felt she wanted to die. Gradually, she grew to accept her limitations and intentionally chose to do things she was still capable of doing. For example, she learned to eat and write with her left hand. She could appreciate that her mind was working and she could walk with a walker.
Eight-and-a-half years later, she is enjoying her life at Sacred Heart and is most grateful for all of the love and help she is receiving from the wonderful staff there; and for choosing to be a School Sister of St. Francis. She is grateful, too, that Sister Mary Boyd, her friend for almost 49 years, comes to see her often! They enjoy visiting and playing Scrabble.