Roy D. Hays, age 78, a long-time resident of Olustee, Oklahoma, passed away in the early morning hours of March 25, 2023, at his home.
Roy was born on July 5, 1944, to Albert Aklee Hays and Verona (West) Hays in Hollis, Oklahoma. Later, his family moved to Ron, Oklahoma, where he grew up with his siblings. Roy was the youngest of eleven but made sure to stand out on his own, especially with his jokes. At seventeen, he graduated from high school in Ron and a year later joined the United States Navy. He felt drawn to his civic duty and worked hard until leaving at 21. After his time in the Navy, Roy started working part-time at Foster Company, where he built feed elevators. He worked for El Coyote in Elk City, where he was a shop foreman in the oil field. Roy then became a self-employed welder, doing custom work for farmers. Roy was a hard worker who took pride in what he did, no matter the job. In 1997, he moved to full-time as a maintenance mechanic on the base. At the time of his passing, he was still working at Altus Air Force base. He loved working on the base and enjoyed all of his co-workers; to him, they were family.
Roy married the love of his life, Susan (Jones) Hays, on January 26, 1982, in Wellington, Texas, after dating for a year. Susan was always very close to his family, something Roy cherished deeply. During their forty-one years of marriage, they raised three children in a home full of laughter and love. Roy loved spending time with his family; one of his favorite activities was driving around with his son while they listened to music and exchanged jokes and stories. He was a storyteller, sharing some of his best stories with his kids and grandkids and anyone he met who had a few minutes to chat. Most of all, he was a jokester; he loved to change the names of things for a laugh. Bananas would become monkey pickles, milk would be moo juice, and Walmart had numerous hysterical names. Roy could turn anything into a joke to tell. Whenever there was silence, he would fill it with a joke. His favorite thing was to laugh and make others laugh with him. His family was the most important thing to him; he made sure to make each and every one of them smile every time he saw them.
Roy is preceded in death by his parents, Albert Aklee Hays and Verona (West) Hays; brothers Raymond Albert Hays, Kenneth Earl Hays, Roger Lee Hays, Jimmy Lee Hays, and Benny Lee Hays; and sisters Betty Pearl Colson and Dorothy Mae Hays.
Left to honor his memory and remember the stories, laughs, and jokes are his wife, Susan Hays; son Kannon Dean Hays and wife Jackie of Norman, Oklahoma; daughters Kimberlie Rae Borrego and husband Samuel of Altus, Oklahoma, and Krystle Kay Urbina and husband Justin of Sackets Harbor, New York; one brother, Nelson Hays of Altus, Oklahoma; sister Shirley Pierce of Hollis, Oklahoma; grandchildren Justin Matthew Urbina, Berlyn Blu Urbina, Shiloh Grace Urbina, Solomon Grey Borrego, and Noa Anneliese Borrego; as well as many other family members, friends, and co-workers.
The Hays family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Lowell - Tims Funeral Home, Altus, Oklahoma.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 30, 2023, at Lowell - Tims Funeral Home Chapel, Altus, Oklahoma, a committal service will follow at Olustee Cemetery, with military honors given.
Services have been entrusted to Lowell - Tims Funeral Home and Crematory, Altus, Oklahoma.
To send flowers in memory of Roy D. Hays, visit the Tribute Store.
Previous Events
Visitation
29
Mar
1100 E Tamarack Rd
Altus, OK 73521
Funeral
30
Mar
1100 E Tamarack Rd
Altus, OK 73521
Cemetery Details
Location
Olustee, Oklahoma
Olustee, OK 73560
