Michael Edward Hayden

He finished U.S. Navy boot camp on July 3rd and was attending school in Chicago, IL for electrical engineering while awaiting his duty station. His dream was to work on a nuclear submarine.

Born in the United States territory of Guam to two Navy parents, his early life took him from that tiny island to Chicago, then Vermont, and finally New Jersey. He attended elementary school in Blairstown and Stillwater before completing High School at Kittatinny Regional where he earned the moniker “Hayden”, which would stick with him into his adult life.

He was active in many extracurricular activities at Kittatinny, such as folding into a human pretzel during football, doing laps in the pool for swim team, or banging away on a cow bell for the “Jazz in the Parking Lot” events. He attended Montclair State University for music education and taught chorus, band, and music theory for both elementary and high school.

Michael was contrarian by nature and believed that he could accomplish anything he put his mind to. He always put 110% into everything he did. You would often find him fully engaged in whatever hobby, interest, or task piqued his interest at the time; whether it be grinding bosses and exploiting mechanics in video games, studying Mongolian throat singing so he could learn advanced breathing techniques for his tenor saxophone, or building a sound-dampening gazebo inside his third-story apartment to try his hand at voiceover work.

He loved disc golf, rock climbing, and a good steak. But most of all, he loved others. Michael truly had a heart of gold that he would often extend to those around him. He shared stories and food with the less fortunate he passed on his commute. He cared for any animal that crossed his path. And he would end his conversations with, “Is there anything I can I do for you?”

Michael is survived by his loving parents, Christine Hayden and Christopher Hayden; his brother, Dominic Hayden; his family, Jennifer Michalowski, Connor Nolan, Karin Judge, and Ashley Judge; his uncles, Charles Sears and Keith Hayden; and his aunt, Heidi Hayden.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 12th, from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Save the Music Foundation to help students and their schools fund music education. Donations can be made by clicking the link below.