Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 8, 1941, and after a challenging childhood which resulted in him being raised by his older sister Deborah Rieger, Warren graduated from Beverly Hills High School in California. Warren later served his country with a 4 year term in the military, two of which were spent in battle in Vietnam.
Warren had one child, Alisa Kiyomi Hays, whom he adopted and brought home from Vietnam during his first marriage, and after a subsequent divorce, he met the love of his life Dianna “De-De” Leigh Hays of Southern California. Warren was devoted to De-De, and after their marriage on 11/18/1983 in Santa Barbara, Ca., they enjoyed a long, happy, & adventurous life together.
Warren was a man of many talents, and had a long and varied career in the field of telecommunications, helping pioneer the emerging technology while working for companies such as Pacific Telephone, PacBell, AT&T, Next Computer, Sega Soft, Arthur Young, and Pixar Animation Studios. He was a proud member of the Telephone Company Pioneers, and a Past President of the Oakley Delta Lions Club.
Warren was also gifted with the ability to conceive and create things with his hands, a passion which resulted in him designing and building his own home in Glendale , California at a fairly young age, amongst his many other accomplishments. He also had a big heart and a way with children, and he greatly enjoyed sharing his passion for creativity with them, mentoring many as he volunteered at various schools and community centers throughout his life, teaching shop, woodworking, and art classes, and also got great joy and satisfaction from repairing and maintaining talking books for the blind.
Warren was predeceased by his older brother Robert and older sisters Deborah, Christine, and Ilo, and is survived by his beloved wife De-De, half brother Dennis Hays, and daughter Alisa Kiyomi Hays.
His funeral will be held at 10:30 AM on 4/22/2019 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, and a memorial service in the Oakley area will be announced at a later date.
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