Delores passed away peacefully on April 26th, 2025, surrounded by family and love. She remained her witty, sarcastic self right to the very end.

In her own words:

“I was born August 29, 1933, in Virden, Manitoba. I lived with my Grandma and Grandpa for about six years. My mom was a single mother, so she worked on farms as a nanny for families with lots of kids. We had an old house, 3 bedrooms upstairs and a big kitchen. My mum's two brothers lived with us until they joined the army in 1938. So there was just Grandma and Grandpa, and me. Grandma took me everywhere she went. We were always going somewhere. Think I was about 3 when I can remember. Slept in a crib in their room as I was always scared. The boys always teased me. So I think that was why I was scared. One night we had an electrical storm and the chimney came down and all the wall board fell down in my crib so that added to it. I went about twice a week when I was 5 to a lady name Ma Foot as she made white sugar cookies. Sometimes I would walk about a half mile and then Grandma would pick me up on a horseback. I never found the recipe until about 5 years ago. My aunt Ursula had it. Grandma and I would go to town on a horse and buggy to get groceries and do some visiting. When I was 6 mum married Calvin McIntosh and we moved to Reston for a couple of years and then we moved to Winnipeg when I started school. We lived on Weatherton St in Fort Rouge. In December 1950 I stayed in Edmonton at Aunt Margaret's.”

After moving to Edmonton in 1950 to live with her Aunt Margaret, Delores met Arthur “Fuzzy” Hayne and got married in 1954. They started their beautiful family and built a house together, and she lived in it for the rest of her life until recently. Delores earned the nickname “Speed” early in life thanks to her talent as a speedskater—a name that stuck with her for decades. Her husband was known affectionately as “Fuzzy.” Together, Speed and Fuzzy made quite an unforgettable pair.

Family meant everything to Delores. Her seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren filled her heart with joy — and while she’d proudly claim they were the pride and joy of the family, the truth is, she was. Delores had a way of making everyone feel seen, loved, and lucky to be part of her world. She was truly one of a kind.

Her daughter Janice and her growing family had the special privilege of living just a few doors down from her, filling the children’s lives with countless memories — afternoons at Nana’s house, warm cookies always within reach, and laughter echoing through the cul-de-sac.

Delores baked with love, and her kitchen table was always a delicious reflection of her generous spirit. Often the kids would come home from school to freshly baked warm cookies. Her chocolate chip cookie recipe is one of the family's favourites! At Christmas, she transformed her kitchen into a holiday bakery, churning out over 500 cookies and 10–15 kinds of squares each year — right up until 2022. She never baked just for herself; sharing was her love language, and no one ever left her house without a full belly and a little something wrapped in foil.

She could fix anything — furnaces, broken drawers, leaky taps — often with a mix of resourcefulness and just enough duct tape. She was our family’s very own MacGyver. And she had a steel-trap memory for dates and numbers, something we all depended on.

Delores had the kind of sense of humor that could lift a room. She made us laugh constantly, whether it was an appropriate time to or not. She was generous beyond measure, opening her heart and her home to everyone: family, friends, neighbors, even near-strangers who became part of her circle just by walking through the door.

She was strong, too — stubbornly so. Well into her 80s, she was doing yoga, weight training, and swimming five times a week. Even when cancer made it nearly impossible, she never stopped trying. She was a great example to her great-grandchildren of what hard work and strength looks like.

Visits and phone calls from extended family and friends meant the world to her — we deeply appreciate how you helped brighten Nana’s days with your love and presence.

She is lovingly remembered by her son, Roy Hayne, and his wife, Debbie, and their sons, Kurtis and Cody; her son, Barry Hayne, his wife, Emma, and their daughter, Olivia (Cole Wrigley); and her daughter, Janice Zechel, and her husband Bob, and their children: Robyn Noel (Scott Noel), Kate Zechel (Greg McClelland), and Miranda Heslip (Jake Heslip); along with her cherished great-grandchildren: Scarlett, Georgia, Beau, and Harper.

She’s no doubt cracking jokes up above with her husband, Fuzzy, her grandson, Alistair, her mother, Florence, and dad, Mac.

We’ll miss her forever—but we’ll carry her humour, her strength, and her legendary cookie recipes with us always.

Please join us in celebrating the Joyful Life of Delores Hayne on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Canora Hall, 10425 – 152 St. Edmonton. Please drop by between 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Arrangements entrusted to Connelly-McKinley Downtown Funeral Home.