Lay-Hall family celebrates 80th reunion at Stoneleigh
A long and storied tradition came to an end on Sunday, June 11, 2017 when 35 family and friends gathered for the 80th and final Lay- Hall Reunion at “Stoneleigh,” the ancestral home of Jim Lay, in Calhoun.
As guests arrived, they were given name tags and asked to identify as a descendant of one of the thirteen children of Mary Talitha Kinman Hall and William John Hall. They were also to give their age and share a brief family story or memory. This information would be used later as part of the program.
Jim Lay sounded the dinner bell and everyone convened to the living room. President Suzanne Daniel Smith welcomed all to the 80th Annual Lay- Hall Reunion. A feeling of melancholy permeated the air as Russell Earnest asked the blessing.
Making their way to the dining room, attendees were pleased to see the table laden with all of their reunion favorites. Fried chicken, baked ham, pimento cheese sandwiches, deviled eggs, tomato sandwiches and a variety of vegetables, casseroles, salads and desserts made for a beautiful and delicious meal. Exiting the dining room, they helped themselves to iced tea, lemonade or water and then made their way to the pleasant tent covered tables on Jim’s lovely patio to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Annual pictures were taken immediately following the meal as some had other obligations and were unable to stay the remainder of the day. A short business session was led by President Suzanne Smith. First time guests Leslie Collier, sister of Patrice Earnest, and Jackie Potts, fiancé of Kevin Johnson, were introduced and welcomed. It was announced that Emily Earnest and fiancé Travis Harple were planning a fall wedding.
Kay Lay Earnest and Jim Lay were recognized as the only two present who had attended the very first reunion in 1937. Secretary Carolyn L. Lay read the minutes of the 79th reunion. She also shared correspondence from William “Bill” Lay, Hixson, Tenn.; Millicent Moose Crawford, Newton, N.C. and Andrea Hall Huffman, Rome, Ga. All expressed their reasons and regrets for not attending the reunion. A moment of silence was observed for Milton Earnest, husband of Kay Lay Earnest and father of Russell Earnest, who passed away on March 10, 2017.
Recognition of youngest and oldest present as well as the farthest traveled followed. Five month old Sarah Hulbert, daughter of Mark and Emily Hall Hulbert, was the youngest. Kay Lay Earnest, at ninety- one and one- half, was the oldest attendee. Ryland All, granddaughter of Bill and Eleanor All and a recent graduate of Agnes Scott College, had traveled the farthest distance from the state of Washington. Finley and Suzanne Johnson had driven the farthest from Parish, Fla.. Eleanor All then related to those in attendance that descendants of four of the 13 children of Mary Talitha Kinman Hall and William John Hall were represented at the reunion. Those were Thomas Sanford Hall, Elizabeth ( Betty) Hall- Lay, Frances ( Fannie) Hall- Lay and Gustavious ( Gus) Adolphus Hall. She also said that there were 1,611 years and five months in total age of those in attendance. Eleanor then shared a few stories and asked others to tell their favorite family or reunion memory. As Jim, the last to speak, told of the beginnings of the Lay- Hall Reunion and its meaning, all were saddened to be reminded that it was the last. Expressions of thanks and applause were extended to Jim for his gracious hospitality through the years. Others were also thanked for their part in making the many years of the reunion successful.
Gathering to sing “Bless Be The Tie” for the final time, the strains of the last verse rang out more true than ever: “When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; But we shall still be joined in heart, And hope to meet again.”
Those in attendance were the following: Maria Adams, Bill and Eleanor All, Ryland M. All, Jackie Brown, Marilyn ( Cookie) Hall- Carter, Leslie Collier, Kay Lay Earnest, Russell and Patrice Earnest, Pam Earnest, Emily Earnest and Travis Harple, Suzanne Felts, Craig and Laura Lay-French, Abbott Hall, Mark and Emily Hall- Hulbert, Blair Hulbert, Sarah Hulbert, Finley and Susan Johnson, Kevin Johnson and Jackie Potts, Kenman and Carolyn L. Lay, Jim Lay, Patrick and Melodie Lay, Turner Lay, Robert Lay, Annelle Shope-Miller, Rebecca Lay-Owen and Suzanne Daniel-Smith.