Obit: Haley, Marian (1948 – 2019)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Speich, Haley, Seigel, Martin

Source: Tribune/Record/Gleaner (Abbotsford, WI) 24 Apr 2019

Haley, Marian (29 DEC 1948 – 14 APR 2019)

Memorial services for former Greenwood resident Marian (Speich) Haley were held at 10 a.m., on Saturday, April 20, at Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Ariz. She died on April 14 from complications relating to her two-year battle against ovarian cancer.

Marian was born on Dec. 29, 1948, in Marshfield, and grew up on a dairy farm in nearby Greenwood, where she was educated at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Greenwood High School. Throughout her childhood, she was active in 4-H and particularly excelled in girls’ softball, showing Holstein dairy cattle and public speaking. In 1971, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor’s degree in education. Following college graduation, she taught high school history for six years at Boscobel High School. Soon after, she married Tom Haley, then gave birth to her son Sean in 1979 and daughter Mara in 1981. She raised her family in various cities across Wisconsin, Missouri and Arizona. Her marriage to Tom Haley ended in divorce. In 1996, Marian accepted a teaching position at Agua Fria High School, where she taught history, law and public safety until 2013. She is remembered fondly by dozens of her students at Agua Fria High School, with whom she emphasized the school’s motto, “Honor First, Win or Lose.” She received national recognition for her work in civics education for which she was one of a dozen teachers honored and invited to participate in a week-long education seminar taught by U.S. Supreme Court justices in Washington, D.C. Marian was a long-time volunteer with the Avondale Police Department. Her cancer diagnosis in 2017 forced her to cut short her goal of obtaining a law degree for which she had completed more than two-thirds of credits required. She also earned an associate degree in justice from Estrella Mountain Community College and certifi cates in forensic investigation and victimology from Mesa Community College. Marian also was a strong supporter of the military and provided dozens of holiday packages and donations each year to troops overseas — all on a teacher’s salary.

Marian is survived by her son, Sean, and his wife, Lauren, and their son, Carter, of Tempe, Ariz.; her daughter, Mara Seigel, and her husband, Justin, and their daughter, Sutton, of Surprise, Ariz.: two brothers: Bill Speich of Greenwood, and Mike Speich of Wisconsin Rapids; and two sisters: Margaret Speich of Bethesda, Md., and Diane Martin of Orangevale, Calif.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Katherine and John D. Speich of Greenwood; and her brother, Tom Speich of Vacaville, Calif.

Contributions in her memory can be made to Agua Fria High, Avondale, Ariz. and Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, Ariz.