James Lee Hayes
March 7, 1934 ~ April 23, 2021 (age 87)
Obituary
James Lee “Jas” Hayes, 86, of Santa
Maria, California, passed away Sunday, March 7, 2021, at the home of
Mina Yavari, his loving partner for the past 20 years. Two weeks
earlier, “Jas” and Mina spent five happy days in Las Vegas doing
what he and she loved best, playing poker together.
James Lee Hayes was born on June 19,
1934, the son of Horace and Marietta “Etta” Hayes in Whitewater,
Kansas, a small country town of 495 people. Jas loved the outdoors
and fishing for bass. He graduated from Whitewater High Class of
1952. After high school, he worked for Beech Aircraft in Wichita and
married Edith Hall raising four children, James “Jimmy”, Mark,
Renelle and Jennifer. Working by day and studying at night, Jas
graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in accounting,
and later received his CPA license.
After moving to Southern California in
1975, he settled down in Santa Maria and founded his own CPA
accounting firm which he ran successfully for over 35 years before
retiring in 2019. A pilot of small planes, he loved flying all over
California to explore new places visiting friends and family along
the way. His favorite song and motto: “I Did It My Way.” And he
did.
Jas is survived by his four children,
James “Jimmy”, Mark, Renelle, and Jennifer; four adopted
children, Savannah, Christine, Cheyenne, and Cory; seven
grandchildren, Alisa, Justin, Benjamin, Dillon, Logan, Diego and
Hannah; four great-grandchildren, Landon, Adelyn, Vivian and
Victoria; brother, Larry Hayes of Campbell, California and a sister,
Pat Hayes of Kechi, Kansas.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial
contributions in his name (in the memo line) may be directed to
California Nature Conservancy in care of Lamb Funeral Home, P.O. Box
358, Whitewater, Kansas 67154.
A graveside service will be held
Friday, April 30, at 11:00 a.m. at the Whitewater Cemetery. Please
sign his online guest book and leave a memory of Jas at www.ymzfh.com
