Mr. Thomas Edwin “Ed” Hayes, age 85, passed away very peacefully on Thursday, June 27, 2024 while vacationing in the Smokies. The Smokies was a place he visited often and enjoyed. It was a place of peace for him, especially Newfound Gap, the top of the mountain. Ed also enjoyed staying at the Willow Brook Lodge in Pigeon Forge. He was very comfortable there where the staff knew him and was always so kind to him.
Ed was predeceased by his wife, Opal Bullock Hays; his parents, William Reece Hays and Margarette Brandon Hays; his brother, William Robert Hays; and a niece, Linda Hays Gordon.
Ed is survived by his nephew, Tommy Hays and his wife Debby of Kingsport, TN and sister-in-law, Marie Jones Hays, also of Kingsport. Additionally, Ed is survived by long-time family friends and caregivers, David and Teresa Dunaway. The Hays and the Jones families have been associated for seven generations.
Ed lived his entire life on Shacklett Road in the Leanna Community. He graduated from Central High School in Murfreesboro in 1956. He earned a degree in Mathematics from Middle Tennessee State University in 1960.
Ed retired in 1989 from American National Life as an underwriter due to losing his eyesight to macular degeneration.
Though limited by his eyesight, Ed enjoyed his yard. Ed also found that he enjoyed listening to books on tape provided as a service through the Tennessee Library for the Blind. Ed estimated that he had listened to more than 5,000 books. He listened to the Bible in its entirety multiple times.
Ed was a very intelligent man. He was perceptive and wise. He gave good advice. Blindness may have limited his ability to socialize due to his inability to drive, but he was always friendly and personable to those who approached him with a kind word.
Visitation with the family will be Saturday, July 6, 2024 from 12:00noon until 2:00pm at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be Saturday, July 6, 2024 at 2:00pm at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow in Roselawn Memorial Gardens.
