Colonel Norman L. Hayes USAF retired

HAYES, Norman L., Colonel, USAFR retired, age 73, passed away Sunday, October 12, 2014 at his home. Norm was born in Dayton, OH, to the late Edgar and Mary L. Hagen Hayes. He graduated from Northridge High School in 1958.

He attended Miami University in Oxford, OH, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the Air Force ROTC program. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business degree in 1963, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He served on active duty for five years, with assignments that included Japan, Okinawa, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Following active duty, he went to work at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in various capacities, retiring as director of the Small Business Administration Office in 2001. Norm joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves in 1970, serving until his retirement as a colonel in December 2000. He received a Master of Arts degree in business management from Central Michigan University in 1976. Norm was preceded in death by his wife, Constance (Conni) Lee Ross Hayes, in 1996 and his brother Edward L. Hayes in January 2014. He is survived by his daughter, Kristen Hayes Stephenson (Alan) of Redmond, WA; sister-in-law, Karen Hayes of Huntsville, OH; and nephews Stuart Hayes of Tucson, AZ, and Stephen Hayes (Monica) and great nephew Avian Hayes of Nelsonville, OH. Norm was an active member at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Dayton, where he served in numerous capacities. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Kettering and The Dayton Buckeye Model A Ford Club and was an active boating and car enthusiast.

Norm’s life was marked by his love of family, a commitment to excellence, and the great joy that he took in his wide circle of friends. The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial donations be made to the Wounded Warriors Project (woundedwarriorproject.org) in memory of Norman L. Hayes. A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Presidential Banquet Center, 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, October 16, 2014, with the Reverend Lawrence A. Britt officiating. (Doors will open at 1 p.m.) Friends will be received from 2:30 to 5 p.m. following the service. TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME-FAR HILLS CHAPEL, in care of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.