Jw Hayes

JW Hayes, of Justin, TX passed away on Thursday, January 17, 2019 in Keller, TX, eleven days after his 86th birthday. Born on January 6, 1933 in Killeen, TX to parents John Ward Hayes and Bernice Rosalee Bell Hayes Pate, JW spent his early years spending his summers with his grandparents in Harlingen and San Antonio. Blessed with extraordinary intelligence, he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, TX at the age of 15, and attended Rice University for a short time.
JW married young, which ended in divorce but gave him two children, Robin and Fred. While working for Continental Airlines, he met Crystal Lynn Worden over the telephone while she worked for Eastern Airlines. They married on October 21, 1965 and together, they had three children – Eugene Ward, Elizabeth Lynn, and Marshall Tobey.
After leaving the airline, he worked as a programmer for over 35 years, working for IBM and taking contract work that moved the family throughout the United States before they settled back in the DFW area in 1981. Over the years, they enjoyed watching their family grow and spending time with their children, 13 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. JW and Lynn had been married for 45 years when she passed away in December of 2010. On April 13, 2013, JW married Jan McCarrell-Mitchell, and spent the last of his days traveling the world with her, which made him very happy.
Runner, jogger, walker, racquetball player, photographer, reader, sci-fi geek, merciless Trivial Pursuit player, computer programmer, wine and beer enthusiast... these are all a small sample of the descriptors that come to mind. JW was an avid traveler (he spent the night in 46 of 50 states!) and would often take the family on camping trips. A fitness enthusiast, he was often known to workout early in the morning, and loved the game of racquetball, entering in and winning tournaments well into his 60s. He even participated in the Senior Olympics, where he earned several medals. He also fostered a love of photography, joining the Trinity Arts Photography Club, and won a number of ribbons for his photographs.
JW is survived by his wife Jan; children Robin Jorgenson (Kevin) of Greeley, CO, Fred Hayes (Debbie) of Hotchkiss, CO, Gene Hayes (April) of Waxahachie, TX, Elizabeth Knorpp (Dan) of Keller, TX; Marshall Hayes of Viera, FL; brothers Charles Pate and Wilton Pate; grandchildren Tim, Celene, Taylor, Travis, Ethan, Derek, Kelsey, Matthew, Crystal, Jamie, Christine, Katherine, and Jonathan; great-grandchildren Molli, Koy, Easton, Avvy, Isla, Aryia, Callum, and Hudson; and numerous other family members and friends
A memorial service will be held at Lucas Funeral Home in Keller, Texas on Wednesday, 23 January 2019 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, we are asking interested parties to support one of his favorite pastimes, the Trinity Arts Photography Club ( http://www.trinityartsphotoclub.org ). Please send checks to Trinity Arts Photo Club, c/o Misti Lange-TAPC Treasurer, 1317 Autumn Chase Square, Bedford, Texas 76022. A GoFundMe page has been created here: https://www.gofundme.com/in-memory-of-jw-hayes .