On the date of his funeral in Springfield, Tennessee, five classmates of Steve Haley, TCCHS Class of 1977, gathered in front of the Guthrie mural to honor their beloved classmate who made imprints in the lives of so many who knew him.
His classmates, ones from myriad professions, encouraged all of us to “be more like Steve” by “reading the book, by pondering life’s questions, by being generous with our love, and by being a true-blue friend always.” Those directives, ones that fit Steve perfectly, reflect a life centered around the “Book” as Steve devoted his short life of 65 years to serving others. His obituary reminds us Steve was “a man of intense faith and immense integrity,” one who relied upon his well-worn Bibles to dictate the actions of his everyday life. Scott Marshall, another classmate and a former paramedic, messaged, “We all have people in our lives outside of our family that are special to us. It could be a teacher, a mentor, or a lifelong friend. We also have those very rare few that are the most revered, that are on our own personal Mt. Rushmore. For me, Steve Haley was one of those people.”
Those who knew Steve would immediately point out his strong work ethic. In chatting with his wife Elaine Cook Haley at his visitation this past Tuesday evening, she shared Steve worked his way through college, and because of his commitment to receiving his education at Austin Peay State University, his family chose to assist other young folks with college expenses through donations to the TCCHS Alumni Foundation, Inc. in memory of Steve, again honoring Steve’s lifetime goal to serve others even in his sudden loss due to cancer. Steve’s work ethic stands out as he began selling Grit newspapers at the age of 10 around Guthrie, and from his grandparents, he learned about the business of eggs and was employed by Hudson Brothers Egg Company. Later he began a 45-year-long career in the grocery business, culminating in his being recognized as the 1992 Salesman of the Year for the Nashville Division of RJR/Nabisco. Later he worked for Private Label Marketing, a sales and merchandising firm for Kroger.
Others will share Steve’s love focused not only on the Bible but on other books as well. His love of literature and history was known by most, and his passion for reading and acting led to his participating in several productions of the Robertson County Players as well as in church plays. His passion for his hometown and home community was also especially important to him, and because of his living as a youngster close to the Robert Penn Warren birthplace in Guthrie, he became an active member and supporter of the Robert Penn Warren Birthplace Committee. Again, his creed of service to others led to his being elected to represent District 11 of the Robertson County Commission, always concerned about the welfare of those he served as well as to the education of its citizens.
From a long line of storytellers, Steve adopted writing late in his life, and he also completed a lifetime dream of becoming a published author. Many will recall Steve’s contributing to the Todd County Standard in a column he dubbed “The Guthrie I Remember.” Readers of that column typically remarked how his chosen tales elicited their memories of bygone days in their own lives. A winner of the Kentucky Press Association’s “2022 Kentucky Editorialist of the Year” for a small-town weekly newspaper, Steve’s stories, which appeared in several other print outlets and online as well, typically reveal the warmth of living in a rural area. His obituary also reminds us that his writings allow us to “see the best in people, the dignity of all persons, and the importance of kindness.”
A doting father of two who was involved in the life and activities of his two children, a loyal friend to his classmates from TCCHS who often had his peers in his home, a caring provider for his wife and family, Steve was described at his funeral as one similar to George Bailey of It’s a Wonderful Life. One who knew Steve in recent years commented on Steve’s honesty, his authenticity, his humility, and his kindness. Five of Steve’s classmates from Guthrie’s first grade class – Scott Marshall, Timothy Pulley, Katherine Monell, Clyde Ward, and Deborah Wortham – met in 2017 and began work on their 40th class reunion. Dubbing themselves the “Guthrie Eagle Six,” the group soon found themselves “embedded into each other’s lives daily as they maintained a continuous texting thread, checking in with one another nearly every morning, prior to work, and every evening before bed.” Like so many closeknit friends, they became a strong support and encouragement for each other as well as an “impromptu pep band during personal celebrations.”
Those five individuals combined their thoughts about Steve and penned, “Over the past several days, Steve has been compared to George Bailey, Andy Griffith, and other notable characters in books and film, but to us, he was so much more. Steve was a genuinely nice human being, and he thought others were too. You had to prove him wrong for him to think otherwise. He was the epitome of the southern gentleman, and like our mothers, he loved us unconditionally. Like our fathers, he was honest and trustworthy, and like our brother, he was playful, ridiculous and on occasion he could be downright goofy. And, we loved every bit of it and him.” The group also shared, “E.E. Cummings spoke best for us when he penned, ‘here is the deepest secret nobody knows.’” They concluded, “We carry your heart, Steve. We carry your heart in our hearts … now and forever until the end of time.”
~ Article by Carolyn L. Wells
May 10, 2025
