Katherine Lucille Sayers
October 8, 1928 - December 11, 2014

Katherine Sayers, 86, of Malvern, passed away on December 11, 2014 at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 15, 2014 at Loess Hills Funeral Home in Malvern, with Reverend Carl Phillips officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral starting at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be in the Malvern Cemetery.

Memorials to Strahan United Methodist Church

Katherine Lucille Sayers, the oldest of nine children of Lena Louisa (Nutt) and George Washington Haynie, was born on October 8, 1928 near Ogallala, Nebraska. At 6 months of age, she and her parents moved to homestead near Circle, Montana. Katherine attended a one-room country school house and graduated from high school in Circle.

In 1946, Katherine happened to meet her future husband, Dean Gray Sayers, from Marengo, Iowa. His vehicle had broken down on his way to visit relatives in northern Montana. Dean was hired by her father to help with farm work to pay for the repairs. Katherine and Dean were married two years later on November 28, 1948, at the "Little Brown Church in the Vale" in Nashua, Iowa. The couple lived near Marengo briefly, before moving to McCone County, Montana, where three of their children were born, Scott Lee, Angela Lowell, and John Gray. In 1955, the family moved to Mills County, Iowa where they were blessed with two more children, Warren Dean and Leanna Fay. In 1963, they purchased a farm southeast of Malvern where they later built a new home in 1970.

Katherine was a member of the Strahan United Methodist Church, the UMW group and the Malvern Garden Club. She and Dean enjoyed summer family vacations to Montana. After their children were grown, Katherine and Dean enjoyed traveling as well as camping and Katherine always had a bag packed ready to go at a moment's notice. She loved her home, living on the farm, her yard and gardening, and would "borrow" from the old iron pile to use as gardening décor among her flowers. She enjoyed nature and having animals around the farm. Katherine loved to cook and bake and would prepare wonderful meals and treats for her family and friends. She delivered meals daily to the fields, making sure Dean and the farm hands were well fed.

Katherine was proud of her Montana roots. Following the death of her mother in 1993, she and her three sisters gathered annually to reunite in honor of their family heritage. Katherine was a very stylish and positive person, had a kind heart, a gentle smile, and lived to love and care for others. She loved spending time with her family, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, who were her pride and joy. Katherine was a wonderful wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother and a good friend to all who knew and loved her.

Katherine and Dean were married 64 years when Dean died on May 9, 2013.

Katherine passed away on December 11, 2014 at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, at the age of 86 years, 2 months, and 3 days. In addition to her beloved husband, she was also preceded in death by her parents; and brothers, George Jr, Fred, and Marvin Haynie.

Katherine is survived by her children, Scott Sayers and wife Mary of De Soto, KS, Angela Blackburn and husband Mike of Malvern, John Sayers and wife Cindy of Malvern, Warren Sayers of Imogene, IA, and Leanna Peterson and husband Greg of Tulsa, OK; 15 grandchildren; 24 great grandchildren; brothers, Hanz Haynie and Rudy Haynie, both of Circle, MT; sisters, Marjorie Pawlowski of Circle, and Julia Vanfossan and Darlene Fraley, both of Bozeman, MT; nieces, nephews; other relatives; and many great friends and neighbors.

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