Charles Hayes, Jr

Charles Hayes Jr. was born in Winnepeg, Canada on April 9, 1916 and died peacefully at his home in Davis on August 26, 2007. He moved to Davis shortly following WWII and taught mathematics at UCD where he had a long and distinguished career. He was chairman of the department for many years, a member of the academic senate and one of the first faculty club presidents. Charles or Charlie, as many of his friends called him, was preceded in death by his loving wife, Lola. They were married for 49 years. He is survived by his son Rodney, daughter Laura and grandsons Max, Jeff and Andrew. Although he will be greatly missed, we are comforted knowing that Charles and Lola are together for eternity now. Charles knew the value of an education. He was the first one in his family to graduate from the 8th grade. Although his immigrant parents didnt have much formal education, they realized that Charles was very gifted and made his education a priority. They moved from Canada to San Francisco when he was 7 years old. His family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii during the depression and then returned to the mainland two years later so he could graduate from Lowell High School and enroll at U.C. Berkeley where he completed his undergraduate studies and went on to earn a PhD in mathematics. Charles was a lifelong Cal football fan and loved to recall the glory years when they won the Rose Bowl. It gave him great satisfaction whenever Cal beat Stanford in the Big Game. Charles worked for the Army Corps of Engineers after graduation. He enlisted in the service right after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and taught math to young Air Force pilots. After he was discharged, Charles drove cross country and picked up a pregnant, mangy dog along the way. Blackie was the first of many abandoned animals he rescued. Charles and Lola settled in Davis shortly after the war. They made many wonderful friends as Davis grew and UCD expanded. Charles had a passion for teaching and a love of learning his entire life. He could relate to people of all ages but preferred being around the young people. He undoubtedly inspired many students to become educators. Charles mentored many graduate students and followed their careers with great interest. The trip to Hawaii and the exposure to different cultures sparked a life-long interest in travel. He wanted to share his enthusiasm for traveling and once treated the family to an around-the-world cruise. Stamp collecting was another life-long interest that he combined with his love of travel. Charles and Lola traveled extensively after he retired. Lola was the love of his life and he was devastated when she finally died from cancer. Charles missed her dearly and brought a dog home from the pound. Poochie filled the void and was his constant companion up until his death earlier this year. He would take Poochie to the dog park at the Davis cemetery and visit her grave every day. He made friends with a group of dog lovers at the cemetery and was a regular at their social events. Charles was very vigorous up until his stroke 6 years ago. He made a strong recovery but was frustrated that he couldnt do certain things as well as before, like dancing. Poochie was a very sweet dog that everybody loved instantly. Poochie became the unofficial therapy dog of the URC during his stay. A memorial service for Charles will be held at Wiscombes Davis Funeral Chapel on Thursday, August 30, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. Family and friends are invited to join us for lunch immediately afterwards at the Bistro located at the corner of 3rd and F street in Davis. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the SPCA, American Cancer Society, UCD academic (math) scholarship fund or a charity of your choice. Those who wish to sign a guest book on line may do so at www.wiscombefuneral.com

---

---