James Hayes

James (Jim) William Hayes, 64, of Kerrville, Texas passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2015 in Kerr County from injuries sustained in a one vehicle accident. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Junior Dayton and Lula Mae (Penshorn) Hayes on July 17, 1950. He married Andree LeMeilleur on August 19, 1972 in Kerrville, Texas. \r\n \r\nWhat a wonderful life! Raised in a military family, Jim lived in several places growing up. He spent his early youth in Fairfield, California and often recalled many happy memories spent on the small family farm near Travis Air Force Base. The family moved to Kerrville in 1964 where they owned and operated the Whites Auto Store. Jim attended Tivy High School and graduated in 1968. While in high school, he helped at the family business after school and on Saturdays changing oil and fixing flat tires. He worked for the Texas highway department during the summer breaks from college and would comment when driving to San Antonio that "I helped build this bridge" or "I helped build this stretch of highway." With his summer earnings, he would save enough to pay for the following year's college tuition. In 1970, he earned an Associate of Arts from Schreiner Institute. It was while attending Schreiner that he and Andree started dating and fell in love. Jim attended The University of Texas at Austin for one year before transferring to Angelo State. In August of 1972, Jim and Andree were married. They moved to San Angelo where Jim finished college earning a Bachelor of Science in Math in May, 1973. That same year Jim and Andree moved to Iraan, Texas where they both taught school. In 1976 he earned his Masters of Education in Administration from Sul Ross State University. During the seven years in Iraan, Jim taught math and physics, coached boys' basketball, golf, and was an assistant football and track coach. Jim was a successful coach taking one of his basketball teams to the Regional tournament losing to that year's state champion. His first two sons, Levi and Tyler, were born in Iraan where he would proudly carry them to ball practices, games and pep-rallies. During the summers, he worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of west Texas. It was here that he began learning the oil industry. \r\n \r\nIn 1980 at the age of 30, he made a career change and went to work for Getty Oil Company in Levelland, Texas. It was here that two more children were born, Creed and Lynde-Zane, and where he raised his family and made lifelong friends. In Levelland, Jim was active in church where he taught a Royal Ambassador class. He also continued coaching only this time it was youth soccer, basketball and baseball. He watched more games than you can count and rarely missed one of his childrens' activities. He would drive miles from a rig to see one of his children's games only to get in his truck and drive back to the work site. He sponsored, coached, and transported ball teams all over the state and loved every minute of it. He enjoyed spending time with his four children and the many friends they brought home while living in Levelland. \r\n \r\nIn 1989, Texaco acquired Getty and he worked as a Drilling Foreman and an Operations Superintendent/Quality Coordinator in the Levelland area for Texaco. In 1995 he started overseas rotational work for the Texaco Angola operations. He was a Training Coordinator (1995-1996), Assistant Offshore Superintendent Manager (1996-1997), and Offshore Installation Manager (1997-2001). While in Angola, Jim was instrumental in getting Texaco involved in building a hospital clinic, refurbishing school classrooms and supporting a local orphanage run by Catholic nuns. He arranged for Texaco to sponsor Christmas parties and gift giveaways for the children in the orphanage. One Christmas he was told by the Mattel Toy Company that he had placed the largest order of black Barbie dolls they ever had. He loved to dress as Santa and hand out toys to the orphans at Christmas.\r\n \r\nIn 2001 Chevron acquired Texaco and Jim transferred to Shekou Shenzen, China where he worked from 2001-2011. He was Block 2 Field Superintendent 2001-2003, Senior Field Supervisor CACT 2003-2007, and Operations Production Superintendent CACT 2007-2011. In 2011 while working in China, he suffered kidney failure due to complications from diabetes. He underwent a successful kidney transplant that same year that involved three separate donors and three separate recipients. He then transferred to Houston and worked for Chevron's Upstream and Gas division as a Senior Operations Representative. He retired from Chevron in 2013 but continued working as a project consultant until November 2014 when he retired for good from the oil industry.\r\n \r\nDuring his 34 years in the oil industry, he traveled to many foreign countries including Russia, Republic of China, Republic of Congo, Thailand, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Korea, France, and Singapore. With his travels he made lifelong friends and was loved and respected by the men and women with whom he worked. He won numerous awards and recognitions for his work in the various oil fields. \r\n \r\nDuring retirement, Jim spent his time doing the things he loved most; loving on his wife while giving her a hard time, spending time with his children and their many friends, meeting up with his breakfast crew, cracking jokes with his brother- in-law and best friend, Craig, traveling to visit his friends and adopted family in China, and countless lawnmower rides and visits to the park with his new best bud and grandson, William. He got involved with cars again and began to fix up classic cars and attended many car shows. \r\n \r\nJim was preceded in death by his father, Junior Dayton Hayes and his mother, Lula Mae (Penshorn) Hayes. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Andree. Also surviving are sons Levi of San Marcos, Tyler (Julie) of Austin, Creed (Aly) of San Antonio, and daughter Lynde-Zane of Kerrville, one grandson William Aubrey Hayes of Austin. Also surviving are sister Janice McCutcheon (Rob) of Kerrville, brothers Dan of New Braunfels, Chuck (Louann) of Houston, and Tim (Susan) of Austin, aunt Mary Jane Ligon of Dallas, sisters-in-law Lynn LeMeilleur, Denise Enloe (Frankie), Beth LeMeilleur, brothers-in-law Craig LeMeilleur, Mark LeMeilleur, and Shawn LeMeilleur all of Kerrville. Many nieces, nephews, cousins, and numerous extended family throughout Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee as well as friends and extended adopted families from China also survive. \r\n \r\nHe was a kind brother, a good son, a hard-working provider, a loyal colleague and friend. He was the best grandfather, an extraordinary father, and a loving and devoted husband. But most of all, he was a Christian, a child of God. He was raised in the Christian faith and accepted Christ as his savior during his junior year of college. He stayed the course, he ran the race, and he is now at home with his Heavenly Father.\r\n \r\n1 Corinthians 13:2 "If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." Jim loved. \r\n \r\nA celebration of Jim's life will be held at 11:00 am Saturday June 13, 2015 at First Baptist Church in Kerrville, Texas. Jim was passionate about the mission work he saw and was involved in through his travels around the world. While Jim and Andree were in China, they developed a close bond with a Christian missionary couple, Ryan and Lainey Morgan. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to support their work in China. https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/4v09/jim-hayes-memorial-fund\r\n\r\n\r\n[contact-form-7 id="73" title="Send Condolences"]