PAUL HAYES WAS QUITE A MAN WHO NEVER LIKED TO BE FUSSED OVER TOO MUCH AND EVEN AS A CHILD, DAD SAID IF THEY GOT HURT THEY JUST "WRAPPED IT UP AND LET IT GO". EVEN DURING HIS ALZHEIMER ILLNESS, DAD PORTRAYED THE SAME HUMBLE ATTITUDE HE TOOK HIS KNOCKS AND CONTINUED ON... DAD WAS A PRIVATELY RELIGIOUS MAN, AND IT HAD BEEN JOKINGLY SAID THAT DAD WAS THE OLDEST LIVING ALTER BOY IN THE HISTORY OF "LITTLE FLOWER" DAD HAD SERVED IN WORLD WAR II, AND PATROLLED THE DUTCH HARBOR IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS ABOARD THE U.S.S. ELLIOTT, WHICH WAS A CARRIER ESCORT SHIP AND SO IT WAS AFTER HIS SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY, THAT HE MET AND MARRIED OUR BEAUTIFUL MOM AND FOR A LIVING, DAD, ALONG WITH HIS BROTHERS KEN, AND VINCE, STARTED AN ORNAMENTAL IRON WORKS SHOP CALLED "HAYES BROTHERS", WHICH STILL THRIVES TODAY AND IS RAN BY HIS SON GREG, AND GRANDSON STEVE, WITH GARY AND GRANDSON RYAN TOO AND AMAZINGLY, AT THE SAME TIME DAD BEGAN THE SHOP HE HAD ALSO BUILT THE OLE' BUNKHOUSE, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HOME TO GROW UP IN. DAD CLEARED THE LAND, AND DUG THE WELL, AND KEPT ADDING ON AS THE KIDS KEPT COMING! ALL TOGETHER, MOM AND DAD HAD 9 CHILDREN AND GAVE US A CATHOLIC UPBRINGING, AT OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH AND SCHOOL AH YES WE ALL HAVE OUR STORIES OF OUR SCHOOL DAYS AND GOOD AND BAD, THE EXPERIENCES HAVE STAYED WITH US ALL AS I SAY, THERE WERE 9 OF US CHILDREN GARY, KATIE, DANNY, PAULA, JIM, DOUG, SHARON, GREG AND BABY ROBERT, WHO DIED 6 HOURS AFTER BIRTH, BUT THOUGH OUR YOUNGEST BROTHER DIDN'T LIVE LONG, ROBERT INFLUENCED ALL OUT LIVES BY HIS SWEET SHORT LIFE IN WAYS WHICH ARE EVERLASTING FOR ALL OF US...HE WAS OUR ANGEL WELL, BEING 1 OF 9, IT WAS FUNNY, BUT WE ALL SOMEHOW FELT WE WERE THE FAVORITE! MOM AND DAD SOMEHOW MANAGED TO MAKE US EACH FEEL SPECIAL WITHOUT ANY THERAPY AT ALL! ALTHOUGH, MAYBE COME TO THINK ABOUT IT...LOL YES, WE HAD GREAT PARENTS AND A WONDERFUL CHILDHOOD IN THAT HOME DAD BUILT WE GREW UP AT A TIME WHEN THERE WERE NO FENCES WHICH DIVIDED NEIGHBOR FROM NEIGHBOR, AND THE YARDS WERE WIDE OPEN, WHERE EVERYONE'S PETS RAN AS FREE...AS WE DID OUR DAYS WERE FULL, AND WE SMELLED LIKE THE OUT-OF-DOORS WE HAD A SANDBOX, WHICH WAS NOT IN A BOX, BUT RATHER TOOK UP AN EIGHTH OF THE BACK YARD! DAD HAD THE SANDBOX REPLENISHED EACH YEAR SO THERE WAS ALWAYS FRESH RED DIRT TO BUILD OUR GRANULAR CITIES, HOMES AND ROADS AND OUR BACK YARD HAD A PERPETUAL BALL DIAMOND ETCHED INTO IT AND THERE WAS ALWAYS A GAME IN PLAY EVEN OUR KIDS GOT TO PLAY ON THAT BALL DIAMOND SOME DAYS, WE RODE OUR "FIRST HOLY COMMUNION" BIKES EVERYWHERE, NON-STOP HAVING TO BE HOME IN TIME FOR SUPPER, AND THEN BEFORE DARK WE PLAYED TAG, HIDE AND SEEK, POM POM PULL AWAY, AND BASEBALL, WE SKATED ON THE BACK YARD ICE RINK DAD POURED IN THE WINTER, AND SWAM IN OUR ABOVE GROUND POOL IN THE SUMMER WE NEARLY EACH HAD OUR OWN SWING ON A HUGE PIPE-RAIL SWING SET AND YEARS LATER, DAD ADDED SOME MONKEY BARS, WHERE WE EACH NEARLY BROKE OUR NECKS! AND FOR A TIME, WE EVEN HAD A ZIP LINE GOING FROM TREE TO TREE AND HAD A HORSE SHOE PIT TOO, OF WHICH I HATED TO MOW AROUND! LOL ALL THIS WENT ON...IN OUR OWN BACK YARD... THANKS TO DAD'S INGENUITY AND BRILLIANCE, HE FOUND WAYS TO ENTERTAIN HIS KIDDIES... IF ONLY THE TREES COULD TALK... TREATS OF DAD'S WERE USUALLY, MALTED MILK SHAKES AND SOMETIMES WAFFLES THAT WERE MADE IN A WAFFLE IRON, WHICH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, TOOK ALL NIGHT FOR EACH KID TO GET ONE! DAD WOULD ALSO ISSUE US A DAILY DOSE OF CASTOR OIL WE WOULD LINE UP...AND TAKE IT LIKE A SOLDIER, EXCEPT FOR PAULETTE, WHO WOULD SPIT IT OUT IN THE SINK UPSTAIRS! DAD WOULD REMIND US OF WALKING WITH OUR SHOULDERS BACK & ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER AND ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, (MUCH TO MOM'S DISMAY) DAD WOULD ISSUE EACH OF US OUR OWN BAG OF FIREWORKS TO SHOOT TO OUR HEARTS CONTENT! AND CHRISTMAS WAS FULL OF LIGHTS, FOOD, SONG, AND PRESENTS TOO, WHICH BY CHRISTMAS...THE PRESENTS WERE NO LONGER MUCH OF A SURPRISE TO A FEW OF US INQUISITIVE ONES YES, CHRISTMAS EVE WAS SPENT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS (THE BEASLEYS!) AND WE WOULD HANG OUT AROUND DAD'S BAR, SIPPING ON HIS HIGH POWERED PUNCH, SINGING ALONG WITH THE SINGING DOUGLAS FIR TREE, OF WHO'S HAT GARY WOULD WEAR! HOW GARY MANAGED TO KEEP THAT TINY SANTA HAT ON HIS HEAD ALL NIGHT WAS AN AMAZING PHENOMENA, BUT HE DID! FELIZ NAVIDAD! DAD TOOK US FOR WALKS BY THE RIVER, WE CHECKED OUT LOCAL LANDMARKS LIKE TURKEY FOOT ROCK, WHICH AT THE TIME...I WONDERED WHY WE WERE... AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE WAS THE RITUAL OF THE SUNDAY DRIVE, POPPING IN ON UNSUSPECTING RELATIVES WITHOUT GIVING ANY WARNING ( TEE HEE ) AND SOMETIMES, DAD WOULD PARK THE STATION WAGON SO WE COULD WATCH THE PLANES COME IN AT THE AIRPORT AND NUMEROUS WONDERFUL SUMMER VACATIONS AT THE LAKE PADDLING THE CANOE, SKIING AT THE COUSINS AND LAYING OUT ON THE BEACH THERE WAS THE OCCASIONAL DRIVE-IN MOVIE ADVENTURE, WHERE DAD WOULD SHUTTLE US KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE WITH A SHOPPING BAG FULL OF POPCORN JUST TO GIVE MOM A BREAK. YES ITS TRUE...FOLDING A MOUNTAIN OF CLOTHES IN PEACE AND QUIET ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, WAS MORE APPEALING TO MOM AT THE TIME AND HOW COULD I FORGET GOING TO WATCH DAD BOWL ON HIS ONE AND ONLY NIGHT OUT WITH THE GUYS! YES, EACH WEEK, DAD WOULD LOAD UP HIS OWN CHEERING SECTION, ONE WEEK THE GIRLS COULD GO, AND THE NEXT WEEK, IT WAS THE BOYS TURN AND NO MATTER WHAT DAD BOWLED, WE ALWAYS THOUGHT HE WAS THE BEST! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAD LOVED LOVED BOOKS AND OUR HOME HAD QUITE A LIBRARY ALWAYS WITH AN UPDATED SET OF ENCYCLOPEDIAS SO US KIDDIES COULD HAVE KNOWLEDGE AT OUR FINGERTIPS, JUST IN CASE... DAD LOVED MUSIC TOO, OH HOW HE TRIED TO LEARN TO PLAY THE PIANO! WE WOULD ALL CRINGE AS HE NEARED THAT ONE CERTAIN NOTE AS HE PRACTICED "MOCKINGBIRD HILL" AND TO OUR SURPRISE...SOMETIMES HE WOULD HIT IT! HE ALSO SANG IN A BARBER SHOP QUARTET TOO WHICH MADE HIM AND US SO VERY PROUD THAT HE WAS A MEMBER DAD LOVED BASEBALL, I CAN STILL SEE HIM SITTING OUT ON THE PATIO ON A HOT SUMMER NIGHT, LISTENING TO THE TIGERS PLAY, AND THEN OVER THE RADIO WE COULD HEAR THE CHEERS FROM ROGERS HIGH WHERE THE HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS WERE PLAYING, AND HE WOULD GATHER US KIDS, TO WALK UP THE ROAD TO WATCH A GAME MY DAD NEVER LOST HIS ZEST FOR LEARNING AND WAS TAKING COLLEGE COURSES BEFORE HIS ILLNESS TOOK HOLD AND THEN, EVEN STILL, HE STUDIED HARD WITH MY BROTHER DOUG ATTEMPTING TO RETAIN ALL HE WAS LOSING MY DAD WAS A KIND AND HONEST MAN WITH A WONDERFUL SENSE OF HUMOR, HE MAY HAVE LOVED TO BE FUNNY, BUT NEVER TRIED TO INTENTIONALLY BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION BUT WHETHER HE WAS, OR HE WASN'T... HE HAD A GOOD TIME ALL THE SAME, AND EVERYONE LOVED HIM. AND THOUGH DAD ENJOYED LIFE, HE SUFFERED MANY LOSSES TOO... HIS INFANT SON "ROBERT", PARENTS, BROTHERS, AND FRIENDS... BUT DAD ALWAYS RETAINED A DIGNIFIED RESOLVE AND WOULD RETURN TO A LIFE GOES ON ATTITUDE. DAD TAUGHT US THAT LIFE IS TO BE LIVED, AND DAD LIVED, HE ENJOYED LIFE AND WAS AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL. DAD ALWAYS TOLD US THAT... "IF YOU DON'T HAVE FUN IT IS "YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT!" (DAD'S FAVORITE QUOTE!) DAD WAS A COACH FOR LITTLE LEAGUE WHEN MY BROTHERS PLAYED BASEBALL, AND HE WAS A TRUE "COACH"... IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD WIN OR LOSE, HE PLAYED THEM ALL! AND MEN, WHO PLAYED UNDER HIS COACHING, REFER TO HIM AS "COACH" STILL EVEN TO THIS DAY! SOME OF DAD'S FRIENDS CALLED HIM "KAHUNA" A NICK-NAME WHICH STARTED AFTER A TRIP TO HAWAII. ANOTHER NAME MY DAD WAS KNOWN BY WAS "DEACON", A NAME GIVEN HIM WHILE HE SERVED AS CHAPLAIN AT THE AMERICAN LEGION POST 553, WHERE HE ALSO SERVED LATER ON AS COMMANDER AS WELL! I WOULD BE REMISS, IF I DID NOT CALL MY DAD A "WRITER" HE HAD A MONTHLY ARTICLE IN THE AMERICAN LEGION PAPER AND NEVER HESITATED TO WRITE TO THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER IF HE WANTED TO COMMENT ON SOME INJUSTICE GOING ON "INVENTOR" WOULD ALSO BE A TITLE MY DAD COULD BOAST AS HE WAS ALWAYS COMING UP WITH IDEAS AND CONTRAPTIONS! SOME OF WHICH ARE STILL UTILIZED AT THE SHOP TODAY! AND WITHOUT KNOWING, OR REALIZING IT DAD WAS A "TEACHER" AND TAUGHT US ALL SO MUCH! YES...MY DAD WAS MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE, AND I FEEL MOST FORTUNATE TO SAY THAT THERE IS ONE MORE TITLE PAUL HAYES HAD WHICH WAS "DAD" AND I AM SO PROUD TO SAY THAT "DAD" WAS MY POPS! |
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| PAUL EDWARD HAYES YES...POPS, WAS A MAN WHO WAS MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE, HE WAS A SON, BROTHER, ALTER BOY, SAILOR, HUSBAND, DAD, COACH, BUSINESS MAN, WRITER, INVENTOR, HERO, DEACON, KAHUNA, SINGER, HOME BUILDER, FRIEND, AND POPS WAS A GREAT MAN 11/29/1915 - 3/20/2001 |
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