Esther Evelyn Haywood

Funeral services for Esther Evelyn Haywood, age 86, of Calhoun, Louisiana, will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Owens Memorial Chapel in Ruston, Louisiana, with Bro. Kenneth Swanner officiating. Burial will follow at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe, Louisiana, under the direction of Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.

Esther was born on August 13, 1940, in Wisner, Louisiana, and passed away on Friday, August 21, 2026, in Monroe, Louisiana.

Esther loved God, she loved her family, and she spent her life taking care of the people around her. She was truly one of the kindest and most giving people you could ever know. If someone needed help, she was there. She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to stay and never hesitated to give what she had or do whatever she could to make someone’s life a little easier.

Family was everything to Esther. She loved being surrounded by the people she loved, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for them. She was the heart of our family, and the love, kindness, and faith she gave us throughout her life will stay with us forever.

Esther was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Sam Haywood, whose memory she carried with her always; her two daughters, Susan Haywood and Lisa Younse; her two sons, Sam Haywood, Jr. and Terry Haywood; her grandson, Jesse Haywood; and her brother, Willie Kimball.

Esther was one of eight children, with four brothers and three sisters. She is survived by her stepson, daughter-in-law, two brothers, three sisters, ten grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren, and many other family members and friends who loved her dearly.

We will miss her more than words can say, but we are incredibly grateful for the life she lived, the family she built, and the love she gave so freely. She leaves behind a family who loved her beyond measure and a legacy of kindness that we will carry with us always.

Serving as pallbearers will be her grandsons: Nathan Younse, Matthew Younse, Clint Haywood, Chris Adkins and Mike Libretto; her great-grandsons: Hayden Adkins, Caleb Adkins, Grant Adkins, Gunner Younse, and Leyton Younse.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at Owens Memorial Chapel.