Lucille Landan Altizer (Carrier) Hayes

(May 13, 1935-Dec 1, 2021). She defined Positivity, Optimism and Energy, as well as care and compassion. Her wisdom and perspective provided peace and safety. She taught us to start every day with an exclamation that Life is GOOD and we are beautiful — and with exuberance to get out and live, no regrets. She was Carefree, Fearless, Independent, Creative, and worked her Craft store and flower gardens to the end. She grew a family of  extraordinary bonds. Her rare & unique spark and strength were put out too soon. She is survived by husband, James; children, Trudy (Red), Donna (Ely), Dana (Iryna), Kevin (Lori), and Christy Bea; 20 grand- and great-grandkids; and stepsons, Eddie and Scotty Hayes. Stepson, Richie Hayes preceded her in death. Her story is available at vacremationsociety.com  

MEMORIAL
Monday, December 6, 2021 from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm with a celebration of life afterwards at Yorktown Lodge 221 Ballard St., 23690. Outdoor and Indoor areas.
*She loved Living plants  (any deliveries to 309 Jonadab Rd, 23692).

Lucille Landan Altizer was born on May 13, 1935, on Whittaker Ridge, Tazewell, VA, the last of 11 children of Cora Beavers Altizer (Granny) and Bliss Altizer.  Her father called her “cotton top,” and she helped him tend his bees and sat at his knees as he smoked his pipe. He died young, and  Lou helped her mother in their country store, took in sewing and laundry, grew and canned vegetables and fruits, tore old fabrics into strips and wove them into rag rugs on a loom that Lou still used until a few weeks ago. They raised chickens, made their own milk and butter, and slaughtered their own meat.  She rode horses, swam in creeks, made up and illustrated stories, climbed and ran over the mountains.

She went with Granny to tend to the sick and deliver babies. She collected herbs for remedies that she used all her life: vinegar and brown bags, burning black pepper in whiskey, and onion & potato poultices. She loved school, basketball and art. Lou was a daredevil, once jumping off a railroad bridge that resulted in her laying on ice for months to heal. They played and sang gospel music and watched coal trucks wind up and down  the mountains. They took in family, friends, and visitors, and all three brothers went to war, two returning and one killed in France on D-Day. 

At 17, Lou and her sister Lorraine traveled to Newport News to live with their sister Freda, and they worked as bar waitresses. Downtown was a stopping place for the military, and after the Korean War, Dane-Ed Carrier came into the bar, flirted, then pinched her and got a towel slap in return.  In response, he dated, then married her. When Dane-Ed deployed for duty, Lou moved to WV, then back to Newport News, and Granny often lived with her.  They had Trudy, Donna, Dana, and Kevin, and then Christy Bea in Gloucester.  Lou took up all kinds of ventures -– including sewing and selling  aprons and potholders door-to-door and designing and sewing matching dresses and purses for the girls—always making frequent trips to Granny’s back in the mountains. 

They eventually moved back to Hampton and were intensely involved parents, attending every school event, PTA meeting, sporting event, and show.  Lou was always the class mother and ran both Boy and Girl Scout troops for all of her kids.  They played board games, laughed, watched local baseball games in the evenings, and went to family park gatherings on weekends to listen to music and play ball.  They attended church on Sundays for many years. Their kids did chores, used “ma’am” and “sir,” said prayers at night together, and never failed to say “goodnight I love” to each other. Lou allowed each child a day of the week to choose an activity, and each one believed he/she was the favorite.  They were taught confidence and courage and the importance of standing up for the right and the weak.  They took nightly neighborhood walks, collecting other neighbors as they went.  It wasn’t unusual to see her playing in the dirt with cars, running around the yard with a toy gun, or designing Barbie clothes and holding “fashion shows.”  They opened their house to all, to keep their kids close. They danced on Saturdays to American Bandstand and sang along to songs.  She was devoted to her husband as his health failed but continued to help support the family.  In addition to selling Avon and newspapers and handmade crafts and items, she also started her own company cleaning new construction and building maintenance.  The family was up before dawn to work together but finished early enough to have fun.  She made many friends, played bingo, and took up ceramics—later buying her own kiln.  If someone admired something she made, she insisted they take it.  She didn’t want anyone waiting until she died to have something of hers.  

Lou demanded compassion and charity.  She cared for disabled and needy neighbors, adopted elderly people she met, and spent her time cleaning their houses and doing their chores.  She took us to the VA on holidays to sing and give gifts to Veterans. Looking down on others was never tolerated.  She never complained, whined, or was lazy. We got up at sunrise with a “Rise and Shine!” even during summers.  She created a lense for us to see the world as a magnificent place with unlimited potential for fun and happiness.  She always told us to do “what was right” for us.  If there was an important decision, she told us to sleep on it. She didn’t believe in acting for obligation or guilt only and told us to do the things we needed or wanted to do.  She embraced her grandchildren in the same intense way, giving them the same belief in happiness and sharing her perspective on appreciating what you have and who you are and not wasting time feeling sorry for yourself.  She made them feel as special as her children felt. We had the most wonderful life.

People were always attracted to Lou’s sense of wisdom and happiness and sought her out when they needed help.  She made people believe everything would be ok and that they were safe.  She made sense of the world and had a powerful perspective that shifted reality. Don’t spend time worrying—put your troubles in a basket and set it aside until morning.  Give yourself the night. Don’t look back, don’t look forward to imagining what might or might not happen.  Live in the moment. Don’t ever go to bed angry.  Volunteer to help others, and you will never be depressed. 

After her husband died, she and  Chris went out for coffee and talk, and also to listen to music and dance.  She found a connection with, and married, James Hayes, took up golf, moved to Yorktown, traveled, rode ATVs in the mountains, played in tournaments, partied, went on cruises, traveled to Vegas, had fun in casinos, spent time with family, went to the beach, made many friends, and celebrated all along the way.  They took road trips and never tired of each other.  Lou didn’t need anything to keep her at the top of the “Happy” scale, and they always made time to enjoy each other and make their home a welcome family gathering place.  

Lou and her daughters opened a craft store and café, had story-telling, music nights, and holiday parties. She ran her craft store until the day before she went to the hospital. She enjoyed working and said sleep was for the dead. It was nothing to see her shoveling mulch in her yard at 6am and see her still there at the end of the day—gardening was as strong a passion as Art for her. 

Lou knew the secret to LIVING this life with Joy.  She was a rarity, an incredible spark and energy; she was love and fun, wisdom and happiness, strength, acceptance,  and independence.  She loved to laugh and love and give.  She opened her doors to all.  Her fierce loyalty and family connection lives on in all of us.  She started every morning looking in the mirror and exclaiming “Wow! I am gorgeous!” Being able to wake up was all took to be a Good Day.  She didn’t fear death, believing that it’s either your time or it isn’t.  She had a ghost that lived in her houses, talked to her “passed” relatives, and believed in many non-traditional ideas of life and death. She was an exceptional mother and an amazing person who definitely left this Earth a better and more interesting place.

Arrangements in care of Cremation Society of Virginia – Newport News Office.