Marilyn Matilda Managan Hays

Marilyn Matilda Managan Hays of Lake Charles passed away on Monday, August 2, 2021. She was born on September 3, 1928, in Portland, Oregon to Ralph Edward Managan and Vyra Fisher Managan. She was a 1945 graduate of Lake Charles High School and graduated from Louisiana State University earning a degree in French Literature.

Marilyn’s lifelong love of music began at home where her mother taught her and her sister, Adrienne, how to play the piano. She continued her music studies and became a gifted pianist and vocalist. She was a member of Lake Charles High School’s Kiltie flag squad and enjoyed performing in plays and musicals during high school, as well as her time at John McNeese Junior College. While in high school Marilyn, her sister and several of her cousins formed a vocal group known as the Merry Maids, who performed with a chaperone for a variety of audiences, including active military during WWII at local USO chapters.

Marilyn was a longtime member of Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles where she sang in the choir, played piano as needed, and taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School much of her adult life. She worked for her father at his businesses for more than 20 years and served as a member on multiple of those boards of directors. Marilyn eventually took the reins from her father when he semi-retired in 1981 and became President of several of the family’s companies, including Port City Construction Company. She was a well-known, respected businessperson in Southwest Louisiana, and served on numerous boards of non-profit fine arts and business organizations and foundations. She retired as President of Port City Construction in 1988 but remained a very, engaged stockholder of the family’s businesses for many more years.

Periodically Marilyn took classes at McNeese State University to maintain her French language skills and after retirement became an active board member of the McNeese Foundation, serving on all committees at one time or another from 1988-2019. She was a passionate advocate of funding scholarships for students who sought higher education yet hadn’t the financial means. Marilyn looked forward to the McNeese Foundation’s annual lunches where scholarship recipients could meet their benefactors. She supported the students of her family’s scholarship with phone calls, notes, and prayers.

Marilyn Hays is survived by her sons and daughters, Laura L. Hays, DDS, of Seaford, New York, William R. Hays, Jr., of Westlake, Louisiana, Adrienne A. Hays, of West Chester, Ohio, and Ralph M. Hays, APRN, and his wife Carmen, of Lake Charles; grandchildren, Adrienne Russo, Andrew Hays, Todd Hays, Laura Noe Tracy, Griffin Noe, Conner Hays, and Claire Hays, MD; great grandchildren, Isabelle Hays, and Waylon Hays.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years William R. Hays, Sr., parents, Ralph Edward, and Vyra Fisher Managan, brother Ralph E. Managan, Jr., sister, Adrienne Managan Robinson, as well as many uncles, aunts, and beloved first cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the McNeese Foundation (Marilyn & W.R. Hays Scholarship), Box 91989, Lake Charles, LA 70609, or Casa Aleluya, P.O. Box 12764, Lake Charles, LA 70612 (Guatemalan orphanage, casaaleluya.org), or to an organization of the giver’s choice.  

Her life celebration service will be held on a future date, yet to be determined.