Mary Alice Hale, 89, of Memphis, Missouri, passed away April 8, 2018, at the Scotland County Hospital in Memphis.

She was born June 13, 1928, at Downing, Missouri to Hollie E. and Hazel Jane (McCuskey) Middleton.

She attended the Downing High School, graduating with the class of 1945.

Mary Alice married Paul Bigsby Hale on February 1, 1945, in Lancaster, Missouri and to this union nine children were born. Mary Alice and Paul were blessed to have shared seventy years of married life.

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Memphis.

Mary Alice was a homemaker and generously gave of her time in volunteering for various community organizations. She enjoyed weaving rugs and putting together jigsaw puzzles.  She was a loving and supportive wife for seventy years, a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother who loved spending time with her family.

She is survived by her children, Diane Lee and her husband, Rollie, of Barry, Illinois; Dennis Hale and his wife, Dana, of Concord, North Carolina; Lannie Hale and his wife, Barbara, of Windsor Heights, Iowa; L. H. Hale and his wife, Vickie, of Kansas City, Missouri; Paula Wendling and her husband, Gary, of Kahoka, Missouri; Tom Hale and his wife, Vietta, of Centralia, Missouri; Jan Adams of Cabot, Arkansas; Beth Ann Johnson and her husband, Mike, of Memphis, Missouri and Nancy Kapfer and her husband, Carl, of Memphis, Missouri. Other survivors include eighteen grandchildren, thirty-two great grandchildren, three sisters:  Annette Hawkins of Plainfield, Illinois; Carol McIntire of Westchester, Illinois; Ellen Rose Shepherd and her husband, Charles, of Chicago Heights, Illinois; a brother, George David Middleton of Springfield, Illinois; numerous nieces, nephews, other family members and many good friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; three brothers: Bob Middleton, Joe Middleton and Jim Middleton; three sisters:  Margaret Bruner, Marie Middleton, Doris Hollie Anderson and a son in law, Tim Adams.