Robert Hay

On February 25, 2023, at the age of 95, Robert Wallace Hay passed away gently in his own home, surrounded by memories of a life well lived. He is survived by his children, Eileen Hay and Patricia Nelson, his two grandchildren, Robert Hay Nelson and Alison Peifer Hay, and his longtime companion Lorrie Spratt. He is predeceased by his wife Joan Hay and his son Brian Robert Hay and sister Mary Peterson.

Robert was born and raised in Los Angeles to parents Lucile and Earl G. Hay. He first went to Cal Tech then graduated from Annapolis and went on to serve as an ensign on a submarine during the Korean War. While at Annapolis he met and married Joan Hay in a stunning military ceremony and they had three children, Patricia, Eileen and Brian. They remained married until Joan’s passing in 2008.

After leaving the armed forces Robert joined his father at California Aircraft Tool Co., a business Earl Hay founded in Inglewood, CA. Robert’s son Brian eventually came into the business working alongside Robert for many years making it a three-generation organization. Robert and Earl Hay expanded the family’s business interests to include real estate holdings in Los Angeles and Forest Falls. In Forest Falls, in early days, they owned and operated a public swimming pool and store. Forest Falls became beloved by the entire family and four generations of the Hay/Peterson family have had many joyful memories of our family gatherings at “the cabin”.

Robert has been a Mason in good standing since 1951 and in these last years he was active in his church and the Lion’s Club. The passing of Robert Hay is certainly the end of an era, and we celebrate his long and fruitful life.

There will be a memorial service at the Westchester United Methodist Church, 8065 Emerson Ave LA 90045 Saturday, March 25 at 1:00pm. A reception will held at his home afterward.