Mr. Robert W. (Bob) Hays

Throughout his life, Robert W. (Bob) Hays travelled and saw a good portion of this world, and on May 9, 2015, he travelled one last time with his Lord and Savior at the age of 93. Funeral services for Mr. Robert W. (Bob) Hays of the Bethel Community will be held at 11 am on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at the chapel of Crawford-A. Crim Funeral Home with Rev. Candice Klein officiating. Visitation will be from 10 am until service time on Wednesday at the funeral home. Interment will follow in the Bethel Cemetery under the direction of Crawford-A. Crim Funeral Home. Bob was born June 8, 1921 to Homer V. and Cora Mae Finley Hays in what was known as the Harper Community. Growing up he attended Harper, Minden, Gaston schools, and graduated from Henderson High School in 1939. He made his first trip in August 1940 to New Orleans where he boarded a ship bound for Tela, Honduras, Central America, at age 19. There he went to work for the United Fruit Company to learn to be a dragline operator, and earn enough money to come home and go to college. However, when World War II broke out, there was no draft, so in the fall of 1943 Bob left his job, came home, and volunteered for the Navy, spending just over two years all over the South Pacific as a Motor Machinist's Mate, repairing marine engines. He was discharged April 1, 1946, and in June he went back to Honduras. After six months, he returned home to marry the love of his life, Rubye Lee Rives, in April 1947. In 1950 they both went to Honduras and stayed until mid-summer 1951. After returning, they moved around some, ending up in Alice, Tx. Once there, they joined the First Presbyterian Church where Bob served as a Deacon, Elder, Sunday School teacher, sang in the choir, served on the building committee, and did various jobs around the grounds of the church. He joined the VFW, served as an assistant Scout Master, and served on the Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America in South Texas. He was a Vice-President of the Optimist Club, which sponsored the Little League Baseball program that included about 300 boys. In the summer of 1961, Bob took his family back to Houston in pursuit of better job opportunities. In 1963, he went to work for Lister, Inc. He travelled in more than 15 states in the Southeast U.S., the Caribbean, most of Central America, Puerto Rico, also special assignments into South America and several trips to England. It was a wonderful job and he enjoyed the work and the many friends that he made. Because of his travelling, in the summer of 1964 he moved his family home to Henderson, once again joining the First Presbyterian Church, where he served as an Elder and served on the building committee and various other projects as his time at home allowed. Bob retired in the Spring of 1987 and began an entirely new kind of lifestyle. Staying busy got easier for him as time went on, especially since he only watched the news on TV. He volunteered at the Henderson Inter-Church Ministry for 14 years. He lost his beloved Rubye Lee in 1994. In late 1997, he married Betty Jane Lowe, and moved to Longview. There he joined Elmira Presbyterian Church, volunteered for Meals on Wheels, served meals at the Salvation Army Dining Room, and volunteered some at the Hwy 80 Rescue Mission. He lost Betty in 2010. Bob moved back to Henderson to the Bethel Community, where he lived out his days with his son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Pat Hays. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Homer and Cora Hays; his wife Rubye Lee (Rives) Hays; sister, Virginia Clare (Hays) Gifford; brothers and sisters-in-law, James F. and Wilma (Stovall) Hays, H. Elwin and Sara Jo (Lowe) Hays of Dallas; brother, Jerry L Hays of Montgomery, Tx; father and mother-in-law James B. and Bessie Mae (Dulin) Rives; brother-in-law Bill Rives of Shiro, Tx; great-granddaughter Taylor Dawn Snelgrove; second wife, Betty Jane (Lowe) Hays, and her mother, Theola White Craig. Bob is survived by his children, Robert W. (Bob) Hays, Jr. of Laneville, Patricia Hays Snelgrove and Sandy B. Snelgrove, and James I. ("Purple") and wife Pat Hays of Laneville; sister-in-law Ann Hays of Montgomery, Tx; grandchildren, Mary V. Snelgrove, James and wife Abby Hays of Dallas, Paige Hays of Laneville, Kristy Hays of Abilene, and David Allen and wife Angela Belcher; and great-grandchildren Tela Lee Snelgrove, Shelbie Hays of Abilene, Jax and Jaden Andrews, Jasper and Jacie Belcher, and August Robert Hays; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Pallbearers will be Bob Hays, James Hays, Jim Hays, Don Hays, Michael Hale, Keith Bradford, David Belcher, and Sandy Snelgrove. Honorary pallbearers will be Valentin Fajardo, Jabin Norris, and Robert Evans, Bob's namesake. With deepest appreciation, the family would like to thank Champion EMS, ETMC Henderson ER doctors and staff, 4th floor nurses, and doctors Walgama and Akpassa, and from Heartsway Hospice, Jana and Carolyn for all the special care, attention, and love you each gave our father. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church - Kids For God, P.O. Box 773, Henderson, Tx, 75653, or to the Henderson Animal Shelter, 3462 Hwy 79 S, Henderson, Tx, 75652. Bob wrote his life story, and the last line reads: "God has been good to me, and I have had a happy life." Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.crawfordacrim.com.

Mr. Robert W. (Bob) Hays

June 8, 1921 - May 9, 2015