Lyman B. "Ish" Haley, Jr.

Lyman B. "Ish" Haley, Jr., died on March 23, 2022, at Circle of Life Hospice in Springdale, Ark., following his battle with brain cancer. He was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Lyman B. Haley Sr. and Ruth Carson Haley, both deceased. Ish's distinctive nickname was bestowed upon him by an uncle shortly after birth and remained his lifelong moniker. Ish is survived by his wife and best friend, Mary Lou Wilkins Haley, whom he met in 1969 and married in 1970. They would move to Plano, Texas, where they made their home for 40 years before retiring back to Arkansas, to the dream home they built 2013 in the Fayetteville/Goshen area. Their 52 year marriage was filled with numerous adventures together which included visiting and sometimes revisiting 25 countries and numerous islands. These travels were most often intrepid, independent ones with them succumbing only recently to tour group travel. Ish attended St. Joseph's Catholic School before attending and graduating from Fayetteville High School in 1964. He would go on to attend and graduate from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and to attend and receive his Master's degree from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. While attending the U of A, he served in the 188th Arkansas Air National Guard. Ish began his professional career very early with sports writing for the Northwest Arkansas Times and later by serving as their sports editor while still in college. He would also go on to become the first "remote" correspondent for the Arkansas Gazette. With his and Mary Lou's move to Dallas he became a sports writer for the Dallas Times Herald. During his 30 year tenure there he would write about a variety of college sports, professional tennis (which afforded him visits to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open), the Texas Rangers, and the Dallas Mavericks. He was then employed for a brief stint as the General Manager of the Dallas Sidekicks. Ish would eventually go on to apply what would be award winning writing skills to corporate communications at Texas Instruments and Electronic Data Systems from where he retired. Ish learned to cook at an early age by working in his parents "mom and pop" restaurants Haley's and Haley's Townhouse Café. As one would predict from this early introduction, he and Mary Lou became "foodies", with Ish learning from some of the top chefs of Dallas. A love of good food led them to an appreciation for good wines, an enthusiasm that guided many of their memorable travels to wine regions and wineries. In addition to his wife, Ish is survived by his sister, Susan Haley Bell and her husband Mike Bell of Fayetteville, Arkansas; his brother-in-law, Maurice Wilkins of Bixby, Oklahoma; nephew, Scott Wilkins and wife Kimber of Tulsa, Oklahoma; niece, Stacy Wilkins Ridings and husband Jack of Tulsa, Oklahoma; grandnieces, Amber Wilkins and Jaci Ridings and grandnephew, Jackson Ridings; and many beloved cousins. A very special thank you goes to the caregivers at Edgewood Health and Rehabilitation Center and the staff at Circle of Life Hospice both in Springdale. A visitation will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022, from 2-4 p.m., at Nelson Berna Funeral Home, on 4520 N. Crossover Road, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Inurnment will be at Son's Chapel Cemetery. Ish would wish for his family and friends to raise a glass and toast, (preferably with a really nice wine), to the shared good times and a life well lived. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that memorial gifts be made to Circle of Life in memory of Lyman "Ish" Haley to support patient care and family services at Circle of Life, 901 Jones Road, Springdale, Arkansas, 72762, www.GivetoCircle.org. To place an online tribute or to view the memorial video, please visit: www.bernafuneralhomes.com