Keith James "Jim" Hayner

Keith James “Jim” Hayner joined his daughter Joy, and his Heavenly Father on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, just 8 days short of his 93rd birthday, after bravely, and without complaint, battling numerous health issues over the last few years.

Jim was born on July 4, 1925, in Clarinda, Iowa, the only son of James P. and Caroline M. (Probasco) Hayner. He had fond memories of his childhood growing up in a small town and told stories of learning woodworking, being a lifeguard, delivering groceries for Clark’s Grocery Store when he was 10 years old, having a paper route, being the projectionist at the local Rialto theater, hanging out in the town square, and playing trumpet in the school band, until polio of the throat in 1937 when he was in 7th grade made him have to switch to playing drums.

After graduating from Clarinda High School in 1943 he enlisted in the Army Air Force Cadet program. He got on a bus on September 11, 1943 for Omaha alone and caught a train there to Biloxi, Mississippi where he completed basic training. He was then sent to Beloit Wisconsin with 300 other cadets for intensive general college courses and took his first flights with an instructor in a Piper Cub that was on skis so they could land in the snow. He was then sent to Santa Ana for pre-flight training then to Dos Palos where he took his first solo flight in a Steerman. He then went to Stockton, California for basic training in twin engine airplanes and was flying AT-17’s otherwise known as Bamboo Bombers. He graduated as a Flight Officer in 1945, and was assigned to the Western Flying Command in Las Vegas Nevada to pilot B-17’s and B-24’s for gunnery training. After his discharge in 1946 he continued his flying with various companies for which he worked, and with the Civil Air Patrol for another thirty years. He was a Major in the CAP and at one time served as search and rescue officer for the Missouri Wing. He owned an Ercoupe (2687H) plane in the late 1950’s and had a special love for them, wishing over the last few years he could find his old plane, buy it back and restore it! He took the whole family to his hometown many times in small planes, landing on a grass strip there and flew us all to the Bahamas in the late 1960’s in a Twin Comanche.

On September 9, 1955 he married Janet D. Wilson at the Church of Christ at 39th & Flora in Kansas City, Missouri and they enjoyed each other’s company and were devoted to each other their entire lives, a wonderful example to their children and grandchildren of commitment to marriage. They enjoyed doing everything together especially traveling and renovating homes. They bought, renovated and sold houses before “flipping houses” before it was even heard of! Their daughters remember driving around looking at houses every Sunday after church!

From this union came three daughters: Valerie, Marta, and Joy Lynne. Sadly, Joy passed away a month before her 6th birthday in November 1968.

Most of Jim’s adult life was spent working in the architectural, engineering, and construction fields. He spent 3 years with the Preload Company as buyer, estimator and inspector, 7 years with the City of Kansas City as a Senior Engineering Draftsman, 15 years with Hewitt and Royer Architects as Director of Programming, another 7 years with the City of Kansas City, Missouri as Chief Plans Examiner and Supervisor of Construction Inspections, and 10 years with the City of Westwood, Kansas as Codes Administrator.

Although flying was always his major passion, he also enjoyed woodworking, photography, fixing things, astronomy and the universe, science, history, family history and traveling. He and Janet toured all of the United States but Alaska, plus Canada, Mexico and several islands in the Caribbean. They drove themselves all over most of the countries in Western and Central Europe numerous times including England, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Italy and Yugoslavia. They also did an extensive tour of Turkey. They very much enjoyed traveling together staying almost exclusively in small bed and breakfasts whenever they were in Europe.

Dad had his own darkroom and taught his daughters the art of developing, enlarging and printing photos. They and their friends all became quite proficient at the process, and two of their friends went on to become professional photographers. He also taught his daughters, sons-in-law and grandsons to be able to fix anything, sharing his building and construction knowledge and his woodworking skills with them all. In fact, he was so adept at fixing anything and everything that when his grandons need to fix something they say they are going to “Jim Hayner” it!

He had a lifelong interest in learning and a curiosity about everything and passed this on to his children also. Sometime in the early 1990’s when computers were very new, he even took a course in building a computer and built the first computer that he and Jan owned. The last couple of years he still watched only television shows from which he could learn something and especially enjoyed shows about history, World War I and II, the American Hero channel, Fixer Upper, American Pickers and Cosmos.

He was very generous, giving of himself and his time endlessly and expecting nothing in return. He designed and had built the home that he and Janet have lived in since 1971, designed and built a home for his daughter Marta and her family when he was 60 years old, and designed and built a large addition to Valerie’s home when he was 65 working with his son-in-law Seth most weekends and weeknights after work for almost a year to complete it. It is something he really enjoyed doing. When he was 75 years old, he decided to add beautiful new master bedroom and workshop to his own home and again did it all himself with very little outside help, hanging from tall ladders and enjoying every minute of it. Even in the last few years he would say he wished he could buy another house to renovate or build another new one.

About the time he retired, he bought a Yamaha Venture motorcycle and joined the local chapter of the Motorcycle Touring Association (MTA.) He continued to ride it until he was 87 years old traveling to such faraway places as Gettysburg, PA, Calgary, Ontario, Canada, Durango, CO, and Kerrville, Texas and Asheville, NC, and of course, Sturgis on more than one occasion. Until about a year ago, he and Jan continued to enjoy monthly breakfasts and dinners with their MTA friends.

His great-grandfather James Hayner left Kentucky in 1851 and settled in Coin, Iowa in Page County. And though the next generations had more sons, some died early, or didn’t have children or had only daughters, leaving Dad as the last living male Hayner from this line. After he had three girls, he had only boy grandchildren. He adored them all and spent time with each of them teaching them all the things that he had learned that he hope would be passed on. Just last year, his first great-granchild was born and he was absolutely delighted every time he saw her!

He was a member of the Red Bridge (now Southpoint) Church of Christ and formerly the Brush Creek Church of Christ. He was truly a member of the Greatest Generation who demonstrated bravery, humble generosity, patriotism, gratitude, a strong work ethic and moral compass, and kindness and compassion for all who knew him. He was very grateful for his life and everything he had and instilled a deep sense of gratefulness in his children. He will be deeply missed, and the legacy he left his children and grandchildren will never be forgotten.

Preceding him in death were his parents, his sister Lois Kelley, and his daughter Joy Lynne Hayner. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Janet, daughters Valerie Auld (Seth) of Prairie Village and Marta Peck (Steve) of Lee’s Summit, grandsons Seth Auld, Jr. (Lindsey) of Leawood, Cameron Peck of Lee’s Summit and Andrew Peck (Carrie) also of Lee’s Summit, and his great-granddaughter Caroline Auld as well as several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 2nd followed by the funeral at 2:00 p.m. at Floral Hills Chapel at 7000 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, MO. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to Southpoint Church of Christ or the charity of your choice.