William Joseph "Bill" Hayes
April 18, 1952 - January 28, 2026
William (Bill) Hayes passed away peacefully, with his wife Diane by his side, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at his home in Anthem Golf and Country Club, Arizona. Bill and his twin brother, James Francis, were born on April 18, 1952, to Mary and James Hayes in Newark, New Jersey. Bill was raised in Paramus, New Jersey where the family grew to include a younger brother, John Dennis and a sister, Mary Elizabeth.
Bill attended Ridge Ranch Elementary School, Eastbrook Junior High, Paramus High School and the Newark College of Engineering where he graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Upon graduation from college, Bill worked at Burns and Roe in Oradell, New Jersey while he earned his Master's, also in Mechanical Engineering, at NCE. Bill was not all work and no play. His love of softball, ice hockey and Harley Davidsons occupied any and all spare time he could manage.
Bill later moved to New Orleans and then San Francisco where he met his future wife, Diane Marie Clark. They married in 1991 and lived in Clayton, CA. for 27 years. Upon retirement, Bill and Diane discovered the wonders of the Arizona desert and moved to Anthem in 2017 where Bill could pursue his life's true passion in sports, the game of golf. Bill and Diane enjoyed 35 wonderful years together golfing, traveling, entertaining and lately, spoiling their family of canines, Teddy, Winston and Chloe.
Bill is survived by his loving wife, Diane, his brothers, Jim (Karen), John (Kathy) and sister Mary, as well as his many friends and extended family members who will miss him dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and James Hayes.
A Celebration of Life is planned for Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 3:00pm at Ironwood Clubhouse in Anthem Golf and Country Club, 2708 W Anthem Club Dr, Anthem, AZ 85086. Burial will take place on April 17, 2026 at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Walnut Creek, California.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Rusty's Angels Sanctuary, "Providing Unconditional love until the end to senior dogs," P.O. Box 7403, Phoenix, AZ 85087. Phone #480-250-0251.
https://www.legacy.com/legacy/william-hayes?ttm_pid=210839832
Bruce Wagner Sr (1970)
Jimmy, I am so, so sorry to hear of your brother's passing. I think about the both of you often when I reminisce about our childhood. Our times playing baseball together at Ridge Ranch will never be forgotten. Again, I am so sorry to hear.Bruce Wagner
Kenneth Mosier (1970)
Billy and Jimmy Hayes were two of the nicest people in our graduating class. Besides being great athletes, they were always a pleasure to talk to.
David Hammett (1970)
Richard Silver (1970)
My heartfelt condolences to Jim Hayes and the Hayes family. Bill and Jim were both friends, and both fun, smart, classy guys. Very sad news! Stay healthy Jim.Jill Pepe (Gregory) (1970)
My deepest sympathy to the Hayes Family. I pray you can find peace in your sorrow. We were lucky to see Bill at our last reunion. I do have a fun story from 7th grade. We had several sets of twins in our grade. On April fools all the twins switched home rooms. Some pairs you could tell apart others teachers did not know the difference. The Hayes boys were hard to tell apart. It was funny. It is a story I will always remember.
Jill Pepe Gregory