HAYES, THOMAS H.

Thomas H. Hayes, Sr., 89, of Connersville, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, May 22, 2010, at his residence.

Born December 27, 1920 in Greencastle, West Virginia to Fernando M. and Samantha V. Page Hayes, Tom served with Edson’s Raiders in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a Corporal in the Marine Corps, and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat in the Solomon Islands. He married the former Fanny R. Robson on August 30, 1944. Following the war, he was a high school industrial arts teacher, and earned his Masters Degree from the National College of Education. Tom and Fanny retired to Connersville in 1994, when he joined the Connersville Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was a lifelong musician, playing in local bluegrass bands, and was the oldest participant in the Fayette County Free Fair Fiddler’s Contest. His greatest pleasures in life were his family, faith in God, Blue Grass music, demonstrating his pride in his country, and serving in the United States Marine Corps.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years: Fanny R. Robson Hayes; children and their spouses: Jeanette Hayes Gann, of Connersville; Sandra (Hayes) and Luis Rosa, of Spring Hill, Tennessee; Marjorie R. “Becky” Hayes, of Bloomfield; Terry (Hayes) and Randolph Hurt, of Bristol; Michael Hayes, of Jacksonville, Florida; daughter-in-law: Sylvia (George) Hayes, of St. Augustine, Florida; 12 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; several nieces and nephews.

Friends may visit at the funeral home Tuesday, May 25, from 6 until 8 p.m. Funeral services will be conducted at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 26 at Showalter Blackwell Long Funeral Home, Myers Chapel, Connersville, with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Connersville Ward officiating. Interment will follow in Elmwood Cemetery in Hammond. Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to Fanny Hayes at 2307 Lincoln Ave., Connersville, IN 47331.