Earl David Hailey, Sr., 85, passed from this life peacefully on the morning of August 15, 2022 at Autumn Leaves Nursing Home in Winnfield. He was born on December 21, 1936 in Nebo, to the union of Ike Earl Hailey and Benny Mai Johnson Hailey at their home in Nebo. He spent a lifetime working in the oilfields of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Gulf of Mexico, and internationally in Mexico and the North Sea offshore of Scotland and Holland. “Mr. Earl” spent most of those years as a toolpusher, earning the respect and admiration of the men working for him that lasted long after their working relationship ended. He was known for his keen sense of humor and he loved to joke with pretty much anyone he met. He was a dedicated Mason and member of Michael Dempsey Lodge No. 327 in Jena for almost 45 years, serving as Past Master in 1996, 1997, 2009, and 2010. He was a member of the York Rite and the Scottish Rite, and he served as Grand Lodge District Deputy Grand Master and earned his Red Hat in 2003. He and his wife Thalia were members of Trinity Baptist Church.
