Missipha was born on March 5, 1926 to the parents of Julius Ferguson, a farmer and Justice of the Peace, and Rachel Eccleston, a midwife and farmer in the district of Rock Spring, in the parish Trelawny. Jamaica. She attended the Spring Garden Baptist Church Kindergarten and Primary school, however at an early age she had to stop from school due to an injury she received resulting in a lame foot. She always complained about her 5th grade education, saying she was very unhappy seeing all the children passing to and from school, and she wasn't able to attend. She stated that she was placed in the sun to get healing for her foot on a daily basis by her mother due to her inability to walk. Missipha, learned to do laundry and house work by assisting the seniors and elders in the community. This was now something she could master, and would now seek to make a living from it as a young girl. One of her relatives was now leaving the district and asked Rachel, her mother, if she would allow her to travel with her to St James when she said yes, and she moved away from Rock Spring, Trelawny to where the grass was greener. While in St James, she met and married Eleazer Hayles in 1954 who resided in the district of Providence, Welcome Hall. The union produced six children, of which two are deceased. She made her livelihood working as a domestic helper, and then started her own business merchandising ground provisions, breadfruit, and green bananas. She would also make potato and cornmeal puddings to sell to children at Springfield Baptist Church school gate. She would pick apples from their property to sell at the school gate, and the local market, in Montego Bay. She was an ardent member of the Springfield Baptist Church where she was a member of the Usher board, and the Women's Federation. She also led the catering team where she would cook curried goat and mannish water soup at every church function. Missipha lived a respectful and Christlike life. She had a very good prayer life, she never got out of bed without worshiping God giving thanks for life and a new day. She immigrated to the US in 1992, but never liked living in the US until she was forced to do so in 2022 due to her failing health. In 2019, she was diagnosed with diabetes and eventually lost her vision and hearing. She was never afraid of death as long as she died in Jesus's name.