Donate in Memory of John T. Hayes
Obituary: John T. Hayes
Published in The Boston Globe on June 26, 2018
HAYES, John T. On Sunday, June 24, 2018, John Thomas Hayes, Halifax, MA, passed away in his sleep having endured the terrible disease of ALS.
He leaves his wife Nell McMahon Hayes and children Jack Dwyer (Molly Benoit) of Halifax, Colin Dwyer (Whitney Davis) of W. Yarmouth and Veronica Hayes of Halifax. He was predeceased by his father Frank Hayes (1988) and mother Rosemary Hayes (2006). He will be greatly missed by his siblings, Brigid Hayes (Ed Buller) of Ottawa, Ontario, Frank Hayes (Connie) of Roanoke VA, and Kathleen Johnson (late Dave) of Lake St. Louis, MO. Nell’s family surrounded John with love and support – her mother Nicki McMahon, West Yarmouth, MA, and her siblings Jake and Pamela McMahon (Barnstable, MA), Michael and Kimberley McMahon (Marshfield, MA), and Sarah and Peter Simonsen (Lakeville, MA). His lifelong friend, Butch Frazee of Scottsdale, AZ and Bainbridge Island, WA, was a constant, loving and amazing support to John and Nell. Also survived by many cherished nieces and nephews. John was born in Jersey City, NJ. He caught his love of travel through family moves to Montgomery, AL, Brantford, Ontario, Canada and Harrisonburg, VA.
He graduated from Harrisonburg High School in 1978. John attended Middlebury College (Class of ’81, B.A. Economics) where he was a proud member of the Panthers football team. A big shout out to all the Panthers alumni who partied with John, helped with landscaping and repairs at the house, and celebrated John’s love of life. A special thank you to Michael and Wendy Price for organizing the CaringBridge webpage and the GoFundMe Campaign.
John worked in the banking industry his entire career. He began his career with the Bank of Boston followed by the Bank of New England. He spent 24 years at Rockland Trust before moving onto Crescent Credit Union where he was working when he received the ALS diagnosis. John valued his family and friends, enjoyed hanging out at the Cape house and playing with the family’s Golden Lab, Bella.
Travel mattered to John – he traveled to all 50 States before he was 50, an accomplishment he was most proud of, 7 Canadian provinces and 10 countries in Europe. Reading maps was one of his pleasures along with making lists. Music also played a big role in his life. He made a list of over 25 concerts he had attended including many Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews concerts.
John was a gracious, loving person who lived by the motto “Be honest and do the right thing.” No matter what was thrown at him by the disease, he continued to smile and joke, accepting the challenge with grace and dignity.
A very special thank you from the family to Jackie Twomey who was his companion over the last six months.
A celebration of John’s life and party in his honour will take place on Saturday July 21, 2018. Time and location to be announced. In lieu of flower, the family suggests donations be made to Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS), www.ccals.org, P.O. Box 1052, West Falmouth, MA 02574. For John’s online guestbook, visit www.SullivanFuneralHomes.com
