Luevester Mace Hayes was born in Panther Burn, MS April 23, 1916.  She was the 4th sibling of George and Ester Mace.  Shortly after the birth of the elder children, the family moved from Panther Burn to Edwards, MS.  Luevester and her older siblings helped to raise the remaining Mace children in Edwards after the parents were deceased.

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In 1946, Luevester subsequently met and married Wilbert Hayes a World War II Veteran and Railroad worker in Vicksburg, MS.  Luevester worked as a housekeeper for the Sisters of Mercy in Vicksburg, MS.  The couple resided in their home in Vicksburg, MS and raised 6 children (Ester Ruth, Wilma Jean, Pat, Velma, Wilbert Jr, and Alycia).  The couple stressed education as a means of personal improvement, and took great pride in the fact all of their children graduated high school and attended college.   Luevester even went back to school in her sixties and earned her GED.  

 

During the early 1980s the couple built a second home on the Mace Estate on Canada Cross Road in Edwards and would spend summers there with their children and grandchildren.   Luevester enjoyed cooking meals, singing in her church choir, working in her gardens in Vicksburg and Edwards, and Sewing Quilts with her sister Queen Ester Jackson.  Luevester and Wilbert remained married until the time of Wilbert’s death in May 1994.  Luevester died the following year in August of 1995.   Their children and grandchildren went on to become Educators, Doctors, Engineers, Renowned Chefs, and Small Business Owners.