Delores "Dede" May Hay was born June 25, 1947 to Martin and Jean (Roberts) Shope in Atkinson, Nebraska. She was baptized at St. John's Lutheran Church in Herrick on June 27, 1964. She passed away on November 8, 2011 at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa after a short battle with a heart condition. She grew up near Herrick and attended school in Burke. May 11, 1964 meant a new life for Dede when she married Darrell "Duke" Dawayne Hay at Zion Lutheran Church in Mission, South Dakota. To this union four children were born.

Duke and Dede moved to Herrick in 1964, where they bought and operated a dairy farm. Dede also ran a daycare in her home, where she cared for many of the young adults in the community today. In the early 1990's, she gave up daycare and decided to join the work force outside the home. This first job was at the Gregory Sewing Factory. She worked there until the doors closed in 1997. She then worked at the Burke Hospital, Community Connections in Winner and Whispering Pines in Burke. One of her biggest achievements was getting her GED from Sinte Gleska University in 2006, which she worked very hard for.

Dede loved to spend time with family and friends. She also liked to garden. She would yearn for that first tomato to ripen from the vine. Her hobby was collecting dolls, of which angels were her favorites.

She was preceded in death by her father, Martin Shope and her step-mother Virginia Shope; her father-in-law, Henry Hay; her mother-in-law, Irene Hay; and her brothers-in-law: Wayne Smizer and Wayne Holmberg.

Dede is survived by her mother, Jean Sipe; her husband, Duke; and her four children: Gomer (Marija) and children Blake, Nathan and Hayden; Wanda (Kenny) Smith and children Chris from Herrick and Cory (Megan) of Sioux Falls; Tammy (Terry) Hoppe of Lennox and children Tyler of Sioux Falls, Kendra and Desiree of Lennox; Tina (Andrew) Harris and son Kaiden of Gettysburg; five sisters: Bobbie (LaVerne) Wiedman, Donna Smizer, Bonnie (Jerry) Weiner, Markita McConnell and Peggy Holmberg; two brothers: Donald (Donna) Mohl and Jim (Jean) Estill; one great-grandson, Levi Hay and a host of other relatives and friends. Dede's family reaches far and wide and she cherished a relationship with all of them.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM at the Grace Lutheran Church in Burke. Burial will be in the Herrick Cemetery. There will be a prayer service on Sunday at 7:30 PM at the church. Visitation will be one hour prior to both services at the church.