Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Don Hayes, age 86, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., passed peacefully from this life on Wednesday July 5, 2017, at the Olathe Medical Center, Olathe, Kan.

Born to parents Jerome S. and Bonnie Marjorie Hayes on a farm in Bourbon County, Kan., Don loved the earth and its beauty.  He could be found working in the garden, walking or casting a fishing line on the water.  It was in God’s pristine creation, he felt solace and renewal.  But, oh, how he loved the heavens above the earth.  This fascination led to service of country in the Air Force.  His fascination continued as Don would wake in the middle of the night to watch a meteor shower, track a passing comet, or a rocket launch to the moon.  Above all, Don loved his family and Church.  At his core was his faith in God.  Through the seeds we plant come the harvest and fulfillment.  “So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” And love us, he did. And love us He did when he blessed us with Don (Dad).

Survivors include Ruby, his beloved wife of 63 years; a daughter, Shirley Hayes Dachille and husband Frank, Fairway, Kan.; a son, Kent Hayes and wife Jen, Olathe, Kan.; a brother, Alfred Hayes and wife Margaret, Fort Collins, Colo.; two sisters, Lois Nelle Voeller and husband Al, Broken Arrow, Okla., and Charlotte Joan Savage, Ottawa, Kan.; two granddaughters, Kaia Marie and Ella Grace Hayes; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister, Karen Ruth Dabbs; and his parents.

Rev. Kevin Moyers will conduct funeral services at 10 a.m. Monday, July 10, at the Community Christian Church. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by the U. S. Airforce Honor Guard. The family will receive friends from 3 until 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Chapel. Memorials are suggested to Show-Me Christian Youth Home and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook atcheneywitt.com.