June 17, 1927- January 15, 2019
Marion Eugene “Bud” Hays was the second child born to John Olvie and Plumer Marie Wyatt Hays in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He attended Victory High School, enlisting in the Navy after graduation. After boot camp at USNTC Sampson in New York, he transferred to Treasure Island California heading to the South Pacific Theater in WWII. The war ended before he saw action. He was honorably discharged after a cruise on the USS Clay from San Francisco through the Panama Canal to New York.
Bud met and married the love of his life, Mary Catherine “Kitty” Coffield in 1951. Bud and Kitty lived in Vienna, WV for over 50 years. Bud retired after 40 years as an engineer with CSX Rail. After Kitty died in 2014, Bud moved to North Carolina to live with his son and daughter-in-law.
Bud is pre-deceased by his parents, his wife of 64 years, his daughter Karen Watson, his son-in-law David Watson, his brother Danton “Teddy”, and brother-in-law Jim Lafferty. He is survived by his son David (Christy), grandchildren Larry, Jason, Jeremy, Jami, Jennifer, and Amanda, 11 great-grandchildren (Taylor, Connor, Lily, Aprilla, Samantha, Harley, Alyssa, Jacob, Jefferson, Connor, and Elizabeth), one great-great-grandchild, sister Jackie Lafferty and multiple nieces and nephews.
Service will be 11 a.m., Saturday, January 19, 2019, at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home, Parkersburg, with Jim Yoke and Donald Wagner officiating. Burial with Military Rites will follow in Sunset Memory Gardens. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Friday, January 18, 2019, at the funeral home.
Please direct donations to UNC Jim and Betsy Bryan Hospice Home at 100 Roundtree Way, Pittsboro, NC 27312 in memory of Bud.
