Elma (Hays) Garrington

Elma (Hays) Garrington,206 Nicholas Drive, lifelong resident of Marshalltown,Iowa, has died from heart failure inColumbus,Ohio. She was 73. Elma enjoyed years of good health after receiving a heart transplant in Sacramento,Californiain October of 1996. She had recently traveled to Dayton,Ohioto spend time with family and fell ill while there. She was admitted to Ross Heart HospitalatOhioStateUniversitywhere she passed away on Sunday, October 24th, 2010. Born inMarshalltownto Fern (Holder) and Roger Hays on November 25, 1936, she was one of six children who grew up in and around Green Mountain, Iowa. She graduated fromGreenMountainHigh Schoolin 1954 and went to work at Dunham Bush where she met her future husband.During a decade long marriage to Wilbur Garrington Jr., she had four children and now has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.Elma loved working with people and worked in several restaurants in Marshalltown over the years including Cecil's, Benny's, Hilde's, Monicas and the Kresges lunch counter, as well as working in customer service at Ben Franklin. She was a Faith Assembly of God Church member and enjoyed attending services on Sunday morning and a Wednesday evenings. Elma enjoyed listening to live music and would often join in and sing on stage when asked. She caught every practice of grandsons T-ball, soccer and Kuk Sul Do and didnt miss an episode of Dancing with the Stars.Surviving family members include step-father Max Weitzell ofMissouri, aunt and uncle Hilma and Wendell Hays of Marshalltown, siblings Dwight Hays and Mary (Reza) Zoughi ofMissouri, Willa Goodman and Patty Ross ofTexas and Cheryl (Dean) Chatham of Marshalltown, daughter Kelly Garrington - (Paul) Higgins, and grandsons Sean and Ian Higgins ofOhio, grandsons Curtis Smith and family ofTennessee, and Aaron Cooper and family of Des Moines and granddaughter Loni Pinheiro ofCalifornia. Surviving Nieces and nephews are Jerry (Sue) Fahrenkrug and family, Jody (Jim) Wiegand and family, Mathew Hays, Laura (Steve) Quick and family, John Ross and family, Crystal Wilkening and family, andChad(Heidi) Chatham and family.Elma is preceded in death by her parents Fern Weitzell, Roger andLucille Hays, sister Helen Fahrenkrug, daughters Kim Pinheiro and Chris Smith, and son Rick Garrington.Viewing will be held at Mitchell Family Funeral Home on Monday, November 1st from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.Services will be held at Faith Assembly of God on Tuesday November 2nd at 1:00 p.m. with abrief burial service at the Riverside Cemetery to follow. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com.