Thomas L Hayden

His memorial service will be held on Friday, May 22, 2026, at 2:00 pm at Bridgeport Memorial Chapel with Pastor Jonathan Seng officiating. A reception will follow at the chapel. Cremation has taken place.

Memorials may be given to the Festival of Hope. Fond memories and condolences may be left at www.bridgeportmemorialchapel.com for the Hayden family.

Tom was born on June 10, 1944, in Kimball, Nebraska to LaVern and Marie (Hutson) Hayden. He graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1962. During high school, he played football. He worked at Safeway and Phillips 66.

He started working for the Department of Roads in 1962 until transferring to the Department of Water Resources, now known as Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. Tom had an encyclopedic knowledge of the flows across western Nebraska in the Niobrara and Platte rivers, and working with irrigation rights. He assisted in the administration of the North Platte Decree, flows across the River Compact and the Niobrara River Compact. Tom had worked in lasting relationships with irrigation district manager and staff, representatives from Colorado and Wyoming, individual irrigators and out federal counterparts tasked with water management.

When Tom retired, he had been employed by the State of Nebraska for over 60 years. Tom loved his job working with water and people and tried to do his very best to be honest and fair.

He was named Admiral in the Naval of the State of Nebraska. He earned many awards- John Campanius Holm Award for the United States Department of Commerce-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 4 States Irrigation Council Headgate Award for Nebraska. He was a member of the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.

He married Linda Leas on March 5, 1965, in Julesburg, Colorado and made their home in Bridgeport. A son, Brad, was born in 1969.

Tom enjoyed hunting, fishing and reloading shells. He loved wrapping fishing poles, loved his Jeep and was an avid Husker fan!

Survivors include his wife, Linda of Bridgeport; son and daughter-in-law Brad and Cindy Hayden of Gering and grandson Hunter Hayden (girlfriend Caragan) of Bancroft, Nebraska; brother Lavern (Jody) Hayden, Jr of Tucson, AZ; sister Johnadene Winkleman of Dalton and nieces and nephews.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, paternal and maternal grandparents, sister and brother-in-law Jackie (Marvin) Vorderstrasse and brother-in-law Lloyd Winkleman.