Barbara Dowdy Hay

Mrs. Barbara M. Dowdy Hay, affectionately known as "Aunt Bootsie", passed away on Saturday evening, April 13, 2019 at her nephew's home in Smithville.  She was 85. Funeral services are planned for 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 16, from the grave side at Hebron Baptist Church Cemetery, with Rev. Jimmy Melvin officiating.   The family will receive friends on Tuesday between the hours of 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM at Hancock Funeral Home, 427 S. Lee St. Born June 19, 1933, she was a daughter of the late Daniel "Zeke" Dowdy and the late Annie Coogle Dowdy.  She was born and raised in Sumter County.  Mrs. Hay was a seamstress at Manhattan Shirt Factory and later worked at the Chinaberry Cafe in Parrott.  She was an avid reader who also enjoyed sewing, decorating, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.  In her earlier years, she and her husband, the late Thomas Robert "Bobby" Hay, performed with a square dancing club, The Peanut Promenaders.  In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her step-mother, Vera Short Dowdy; her sister, Louise Dowdy Stephens, two brothers: William Doyle Dowdy, Sr. and Lawrence E. Dowdy, and a niece, Paula Stephens. Survivors include nieces and nephews: William "Bill" Doyle Dowdy, Jr. (Stacy) of Smithville, Debbie Oder (Randy) of Oglethorpe, Tony Dowdy (Cynthia) of Augusta, and Vicky Goodrum (Bobby) of Americus; one sister-in-law, Ivey Dowdy of Dublin; and numerous great-nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews. To sign our online guestbook and express your condolences to the family, please visit www.hancockfuneralhomeinc.com Hancock Funeral Home, 427 S. Lee St., is honored to be entrusted with these arrangements for Mrs. Barbara M. Dowdy Hay.