Former teacher, diocesan librarian passes at 90

Hayden served as director of religious education at Christ the King in Little Rock

By Aprille Hanson Spivey
Associate Editor

Teresa Ann Hess Hayden, a longtime librarian for the Diocese of Little Rock, died May 9. She was 90. 

Born July 17, 1931, in Muenster, Texas, Hayden was the eighth of nine children to Justin William Hess and Margareta Klement Hess. 

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, she taught first through eighth grade and math to high school students from 1949 to 1975. Hayden earned her master’s degree from Loyola University in Chicago. From 1976 to 1983, she served as director of religious education at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. 

She married Lyle Hayden Oct. 22, 1983 in Little Rock. He died in February 1999. 

In 2000, Hayden was hired as the diocesan librarian and retired in 2014. 

In a 2007 Arkansas Catholic article about the diocesan library, Hayden said of the work, “It's just being able to help people and provide them with materials to read and view. This has been my life.”

She also assisted in the office of religious education at Christ the King. In 2019, she moved to Gainesville, Texas, to be closer to family. 

She is survived by one sister, Rosina Schmidlkofer.  

A rosary and visitation was May 20 and a Mass of Christian Burial at Christ the King Church May 21. Memorials may be made to Christ the King, Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro and Sacred Heart School in Muenster, Texas.

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