Mr. Marshall A. Hayes Jr.'s Obituary
Marshall A. Hayes, Jr., went home to be with our Lord on March 23, 2012, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. The oldest of six children, he was born in Houston, Texas, to Marshall and Mattie Lula Hayes on May 24, 1936. Marshall grew up in Garden Villas, attended Stephen F. Austin High School and graduated from the University of Houston.
Marshall met his future bride, Vicki Turner, while both were attending Garden Villas Baptist Church, and began dating Vicki's senior year in high school. The day after Vicki's senior prom, Marshall gave her an engagement ring and they were married the following year on August 4, 1961. They had three children - Glenn, Janet and Christy. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August 2011 surrounded by family and friends. Marshall and Vicki were active members of Garden Villas Baptist Church until 1979, when they moved the family to Friendswood. There they were active members of First Baptist Church of Friendswood. Marshall loved singing (and napping!) in the choir and heading up children's activities for Vacation Bible School. Marshall also taught Sunday school for many years. After the children were grown, Marshall and Vicki moved to League City, and were members of Texas Avenue Baptist Church, where Marshall came to serve as a deacon while continuing to participate in the choir, Vacation Bible School and teaching.
In 1994, Marshall and his siblings took over the company that their father had built, Houston-based Industrial Diamond Products. Marshall and three of his siblings continued to run the company, where he acted as Vice President and was a vital part of the daily operations of the company. Marshall moved from Shop Supervisor to the office in the late 1970s to begin his career in sales. In this role, he made many lifelong friends in the industry. In 2006, Marshall semiretired from the company but managed to maintained his relationships with his longtime customers.
An avid outdoorsman, Marshall loved camping, boating, fishing and hunting - anything that involved water and sunshine. In 1986, he joined the Puddle Duck Club, which later became the Thunderbird Hunting Club. As one of its original members, this became his home away from home. Over the years, Marshall made many good friends while sitting in 30-degree weather behind a duck blind. Marshall's other favorite place was his property in Yoakum where he and Vicki spent much of their time. On a typical day, you could see Marshall out driving around on his mower, checking his ponds, or rearranging dirt unnecessarily with his bulldozer. With years of memories and stories, it was spending time with his children and grandchildren at both the club and his property that Marshall truly lived for.
Marshall is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Vicki Hayes; children, Glenn Hayes and wife Kim, Janet Hayes-Winn, Christy Montano and husband Marq; grandchildren, Jordan, Jeffrey, Michael, Jenna, Mason, Megan, Reagan, and Jalynn; siblings, Pat Diehl, Carol Alexander and husband Don, Barbara Jackson, Roland Hayes and wife Pris, and Kenny Hayes and wife Doris; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of friends.
The family wishes to extend a heart-felt thank you to the doctors, nurses and all support staff of The Methodist Hospital, the Dunn Building, floors 10-East and 4-West. You have been a part of our family for five years and we thank you for the special care you gave him over the years.
A celebration of Marshall's Life will be held on Thursday March 29, 2012 at 7 p.m. at The Chapel of SouthPark Funeral Home. Friends are asked to gather beginning at 5 p.m. prior to the service for fellowship with refreshments. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the JC Walters Methodist Transplant Center of Methodist Hospital.
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