Billy Hayes, age 91, of Toccoa, Georgia died Friday, October 14, 2022, at home with his family.
Born in Early County, Georgia, on December 4, 1930, he was the son and only child of Dennis Wade Hayes and Sadie (Loyless) Hayes. During the Korean War, he joined the U.S. Army where he became a clerk typist, an assignment that took him to both Japan and Germany. He was young, strong, and adventurous, and relished the opportunity to see Japan and western Europe.
After serving four years in the Army, Bill returned to southern Georgia. While working in Valdosta, he met his wife of 66 years, Phyllis (Dameron) Hayes. They married in April of 1956. Phyllis, an R.N., and the GI bill enabled him to attend Valdosta State College where he graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry.
Degree in hand, fortune offered Bill a position teaching science at Lowndes County High School in Valdosta. In the mid-1960s he left teaching to become a counselor for Vocational Rehabilitation, a decision that brought him and his family to Milledgeville, GA. His interests in both people and medicine were unified while he helped folks with medical conditions and handicaps find jobs and fulfillment. In 1968 he was able to return to teaching at Lowndes County High School to be closer to his wife’s family in Valdosta. Many of his students were inspired to pursue careers in medicine as a result of his classes. He retired in 1990.
In 2012, Bill and his wife Phyllis moved from Valdosta, GA, to Toccoa, GA, to live near their son Alan Hayes and his family. Bill and his wife, Phyllis, attended Chopped Oak Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Phyllis (Dameron) Hayes of Toccoa, GA; daughter Lynn (Hayes) Khosla of Vinalhaven, Maine, married to Anil Khosla; son William Shelly Hayes of Marlborough, Massachusetts, married to Caronne Cole-Palmer Hayes; and son Alan Hayes of Toccoa, married to Amy (Johnson) Hayes. His grandchildren are Mark Dameron Khosla of Cambridge, MA; Ryker Hayes and Devon Hayes of Marlborough, MA; and Eli Hayes of Toccoa, GA.
Burial will be a private service in Blakely, Georgia with a family memorial to be held at a later date.
The family would like to thank the professional and caring staff of Tugaloo Home Health Care for their excellent care.
Arrangements are in the care and professional direction of Hillside Memorial Chapel & Gardens of Clarkesville, Georgia (706) 754-6256.
