Obituary of Lajla DeLoach Hanes

Lajla DeLoach Hanes, 92, beloved wife of Stuart Hanes, died at home on March 12, 2024 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, her residence for the past 6 years.

Lajla was born in New Britain, CT on June 14, 1931. She was a graduate of Northfield School for Girls and University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Social Work at University of Connecticut. Lajla was the Director of Social Work at New Britain Memorial Hospital, now Hospital for Special Care. She maintained a private practice in Psychotherapy in Connecticut and later in Maryland, where she served as a Hospice Social Work Consultant at the Anne Arundel Medical Center.

Lajla was active throughout her life. She loved horseback riding as a young girl in California, she played golf at the Shuttle Meadow Country Club in Kensington, was active in the Women’s Tennis Group in Avon, and loved her water aerobics in Old Saybrook and Hilton Head. She and Stuart docked their sailboat in Westbrook and enjoyed many boating excursions on Long Island Sound with friends and son, Tom, and his family.

Active until her final day, Lajla played card games with her friends most afternoons. With her artistic eye, Lajla enjoyed making flower arrangements and creating homemade cards for her friends and family. She was someone who remembered dates and holidays, and was always working on a personal card. She especially liked making birthday cards for her beloved six great grandchildren. Lajla also loved animals. There was always a family dog and a cat or two in her household. Creampuff, the Cocker Spaniel, was notorious for sipping wine from an unattended glass. And cats, Cisco and Poncho would appear on the family tennis court and flop down in the middle of a match!

Lajla is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Sandy and Dennis Daly of Hilton Head, South Carolina, four cherished grandchildren Lindsay Daly and her spouse Lance Beadling, Tyler Daly, Christianne Hanes Golesky and her spouse Jason, and Jonathan Hanes and his spouse Sarah, and 6 wonderful great grandchildren Jake, Owen, Hailey and Peyton Golesky and Halle and Thomas A. Hanes. Also, she leaves a sister, Ellen Van Buren and sister- in-law, Sa’an Tibbetts and husband Bill. And many beloved nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Stuart, her son, Tom, and daughter-in- law, Carolyn.

A Remembrance Gathering will be held at The Cypress of Hilton Head on Wednesday, March 20th at 10:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to METAvivor, an Annapolis, Maryland based 501(c) (3) non- profit organization that provides funding for metastatic (Stage 4) breast cancer research. 100% of every donation goes to their research grants. This choice reflects Lajla’s history as a breast cancer survivor, her dedication to being of service to others, and supports an organization operating in a city where she and Stuart spent many happy years.  Checks can be mailed to METAvivor Research and Support Inc., 1783 Forest Dr. #184, Annapolis, MD 21401 or online at www.metavivor.org.