Marcia Mame (Kah) Hays

Marcia Mame (Kah) Hays passed away on March 8, 2026, in Long Beach, California. Born on August 31, 1931, on Pearl Street in Wapakoneta, Ohio, she grew up there before marrying Jerry L. Hays of Sidney, Ohio, in 1956. She graduated from Blume High School in 1949 and from Bowling Green State University with degrees in English and Music, where she was a Delta Zeta sister. She later earned a teaching certificate at Ohio State University and remained a lifelong, enthusiastic Buckeyes football fan.

After her marriage, Marcia taught junior high school English in Princeton, New Jersey, while Jerry completed his Master of Divinity degree. The couple lived in various places in Ohio and Indiana before settling permanently in California in 1974. In Fountain Valley, she taught Christian education in elementary schools and gave piano lessons to neighborhood children. She was known for her enthusiastic baking and for creating clever, handmade Christmas cards each year. After her three daughters left home in the mid-1980s, she and Jerry divorced. Marcia then worked for several decades as executive secretary at the Hilton Costa Mesa Hotel, beginning when it was still a Red Lion.

She was an active member of Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Tustin, where she served as a deacon and participated in the PrimeTimers group. She was also a longtime member of the PEO Sisterhood alongside many dear friends.

Marcia is survived by her three daughters, Lori (John Butler), Karen (Scott Norquist), and Nancy (Cary Lewis); two nephews, Steven Kah and Jeff Dunnavant; a niece, Ellen Kah; three grandchildren, Jeff, Jenny, and Philip; and two great-grandchildren, Olivia and Nora. She was predeceased by her parents, Adrian and Ethel (Pfenning) Kah; her brother and sister-in-law, Alan (Fritzi) and Yvonne (Littman) Kah; her sister and brother-in-law, Kathryn and Bill Dunnavant; and two nephews, Eric Kah and Greg Dunnavant. At her request, there will be no memorial service. She will be laid to rest at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, California.