O. C. Hayes

Oliver “O.C.” Hayes, who lived at 118 Gentian Road in St. Augustine, died Wednesday evening, July 29th at the Bailey Family Center for Caring.

Born in Brooker, FL, on August 31, 1936, Hayes was 74 years-old. He graduated from Gainesville High School in 1954 and earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Florida. He later obtained his doctorate in Christian education from Freedom University.

Hayes was a veteran of the Korean War and served locally as the Veteran Service Officer for St. Johns County from 1993 to 2001. He was instrumental in opening the V.A. Clinic in St. Augustine.

Hayes moved to St. Augustine in the early 1960s. He worked for 30 years in the St. Johns County School System — including terms as principal of both Mill Creek Elementary School and Ketterlinus Junior High School. He retired in 1993 as the supervisor of secondary education in St. Johns County.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor J. “Cookie” Hayes, of St. Augustine; daughters, Linda Dittmar and her husband, Roger, of Shelton, WA, Wendy Schamble and her husband, Russ, and Cristie Taylor and her husband, Carl, all of St. Augustine; sons, Robert Hayes of Kissimmee, and Tommy Warden and his wife, Annette, of St. Augustine; a stepson, Scott Ross and his wife, Eve, of Jacksonville; a brother, Wayne Hayes of Brooker; and eight grandchildren.

Services with military honors will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6th at St. Johns Family Funeral Home; Clarence Blalock officiating. A reception will follow at McDowell Baptist Church. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, at St. Johns Family Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to McDowell Baptist Church, 16 Bayview Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32084 or to Bailey Center for Caring, c/o Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32084.