Teddy B. Hayes

Teddy B Hayes: March 5, 1926 – December 19, 2017

Teddy B Hayes, 91, of Beverly, died on December 19, 2017 at 9:45 pm at Belpre Landing in Belpre, Ohio.  Ted was born in Marietta, Ohio and lived most of his life in the Beverly-Waterford area.  He was the fourth son of Mr. Patrick Henry Hayes and Mrs. Mary Dean Hayes, both deceased.  He had five brothers who preceded him in death; Patrick Hayes Jr., Donald Hayes, Robert Hayes, Larry Hayes and Stanley Hayes.  Ted had one son, Kevin Hayes, who preceded him in death in a tragic car accident in Florida.  He had no grandchildren but he shared affection and a warm smile with every little child he met throughout his life.  His beloved wife Loetta, with whom he shared many years of happiness, travels, and friendship, preceded him in death after a long struggle with cancer.

According to his own testimony, Ted lived an almost idyllic life as a youth growing up on the banks of the Muskingum River near Waterford, Ohio.  With three older brothers to make him tough and two younger ones to keep out of trouble he learned early how to defend himself and stand up for those who could not defend themselves.  He was courageous and took this courage with him when he joined the Army Air Corps at seventeen years of age and strapped into the belly turret of B17 bombers on daylight raids over Germany during WWII.  He mesmerized all of us with his detailed accounts of his life during WWII.  In 2015, he visited the WWII museum in New Orleans and received a hero’s welcome and warm hospitality while he toured the museum.  Subsequently a brick was placed on the grounds of the museum with his service information engraved for future generations.

After his wife Loetta died, Ted continued to live an active life traveling to Brazil twice with his nephew, even taking an exciting 1000 mile trip down the Amazon river in a riverboat used by the local population.  He drove down the east coast of Mexico by himself, speaking no Spanish and going as far south as Vera Cruz before turning back towards Texas due to threats from local robbers. He was a fearless individual who never turned away from the difficult path when he knew it was the right one and someone needed his support somewhere along the way.

Ted lived a long life built on the foundations of hard work and dedication to the American ideals of honesty and integrity.  He worked in many different professions and occupations, excelling at all of them, eventually reaching the level where he needed to move on to continue to find new challenges and expand his knowledge.  His last job was at the Ohio Power Company, Muskingum River Plant, where he worked in several different capacities of responsibility and made many good friends, until he eventually retired to travel with Loetta throughout the United States with their Airstream trailer.

During his final 8 years of life Ted was joined in his travels and travails by Virginia Young of Beverly, Ohio. Virginia looked after Ted, made sure that he made it to all of his medical appointments, cooked him many great meals, always with desserts, and most importantly, acted as his constant companion, willingly sharing her family and friends to ameliorate the loneliness that could have overwhelmed Ted after he lost Loetta.

Ted is survived by many nieces and nephews, family and adopted, who adored him and all that he represented that was the best of America. He is also survived by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Teresa and Norman Merrow of Grand Rapids, Michigan and sister-in-law Donna Hayes of Jonestown, Texas. All of those who knew him well, and loved him, will miss him greatly.

Services will be held at the McCurdy Funeral Home in Beverly, Ohio, at 1:00 pm on Saturday, December 23, 2017 with Pastor Jerry Penrod officiating. Burial will be in the Beverly Cemetery with Military services at the grave. Friends may call 2-4 and 6-8 pm on Friday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Beverly-Waterford Rescue Squad or the Beverly Volunteer Fire Department. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.mccurdyfh.com.

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