Arlene Hayes

Arlene Hayes, lovingly known as GiGi, passed away on October 25, 2026, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, surrounded by her family at age 94. She was born on August 31, 1932, in Garfield, Idaho to William and Mabel Jenkins Gneiting. Arlene lived a life rooted in faith, hard work, and love for her family and friends. 

She was raised in Garfield, Idaho, with her seven siblings. She graduated from Rigby High School with the Class of 1949. The connections she made with her graduating class lasted her entire life.

Arlene shared her life with her husband, Dean Hayes, who preceded her in death on April 24, 2006. They married on November 2, 1949, in the Idaho Falls Temple. After their five-year anniversary, they bought the house in Rigby, where they raised their four children: Michael, Jana, Paul, and Nancy, and lived there for 72 years.

She especially enjoyed gardening and had a beautiful garden every year. An avid canner, she preserved the fruits of the harvest from her garden. She also loved houseplants; she could make any plant thrive. You might say she had a green thumb. She was a skilled seamstress who often made clothes for her family. These everyday acts of care were among the many ways she expressed her love and shared her talents.

She learned the value of hard work early on, working in the potatoes during the fall harvest in the early years of her marriage. As a young mother, the extra money helped her buy Christmas gifts for her children—a loving effort that reflected how much joy she found in giving. Arlene worked at JCPenney and Shure Motors in Rigby before joining the Jefferson County Department of Motor Vehicles, where she worked until her retirement. Along with working a full-time job, Arlene cared and served her aging mother who lived with her for many years. She also cared for her ailing sweetheart Dean, who died of Parkinson’s disease. She loved to crochet and embroider and made pillowcases, dish towels and receiving blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Throughout her life, caring for her family remained close to her heart.

After retirement, Arlene joined the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and enjoyed learning of her ancestors. She was also a member of the TOPS club. She loved the friendships she made at DUP and TOPS.

A devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she belonged to the Rigby 9th Ward. She never moved but was a member of many different wards and she loved them all. Arlene had a strong testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and shared it by the way she lived her life. She had many different callings and always did her very best.

Her faith guided her life, and she loved serving her neighbors and community. Arlene was always doing some sort of service for someone else. Sometimes it was a homemade meal taken to someone in need or giving a neighbor a ride to church or to the grocery store. She was a kind and loving woman who met people wherever they were in life and made them feel welcome and cared for.

Arlene was the last in her family to pass and is survived by her four children, Michael (Charissa) Hayes of Bountiful, Ut, Jana Meek of Rigby, Paul Hayes of Idaho Falls, and Nancy (Wynn) Monk, of Rigby, 14 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and days away from the birth of a great-great granddaughter. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dean; her parents, William and Mabel Gneiting; and her siblings, Mable Evern Birch, Harold Gene Gneiting, Donna Lucille Hill, William (Billy) Gneiting, Marceen Hadley, Merlin LaVar Gneiting, and Samuel Lamar Gneiting, and a grandson, Kevin Hayes. The only one left in her family is a sister-in-law, Faye Gneiting who is almost 99 years old.

Arlene was a woman of small stature with a heart three sizes too big—a heart she devoted to loving her family and community. Her kindness lives on in the people she cared for and the memories they will always hold dear.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 7 th, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. in the Sundance Building located at 602 Sundance in Rigby, Idaho. The family will visit with friends on Friday, November 6 th from 6:00 to 7:30 at Eckersell Memorial Chapel, 101 West Main Street, Rigby and on Saturday from 9:30 to 10:45 at the church. Burial will be in the Grant Central Cemetery.