First Generation

1. Ernest Ray "Ernie" HAYES was born on 18 Oct 1923 in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois.¹ He served in the military between 1942 and 1945 in WWII - the European Theatre.²
Ernest Ray Hayes enlisted on 16 Jan 1942 in the Air Corps; he had just turned 19. He also served in the 70th Infantry in Germany from 1 Dec 1944 to 17 Dec 1945. He was issued serial# 16045057. He was shot in the right upper arm by a sniper in Germany (per a conversation I had with him years ago). He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Good Conduct Medal for his service. I am proud to say that our family has a long history of service in the military of the United States. God Bless America! - DLB.

Name: Earnest R Hayes
Birth Year: 1923
Race: White, citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country: Illinois
State: Michigan
County or City: Muskegon
Enlistment Date: 16 Jan 1942
Enlistment State: Michigan
Enlistment City: Detroit
Branch: Air Corps
Branch Code: Air Corps
Grade: Private
Grade Code: Private
Education: 4 years of high school
Civil Occupation: Photographer, News
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Height: 66
Weight: 135
He died on 16 Feb 1978 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.³
Name: Ernest Hayes
SSN: 367-26-2180
Last Residence: 73107 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Born: 18 Oct 1923
Last Benefit: 73107 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Died: Feb 1978
State (Year) SSN issued: Michigan (Before 1951) He was buried on 20 Feb 1978 in Maple Grove Cemetery, Seminole, Seminole County, Oklahoma.⁴
Headstone:

Hayes, Ernest R.
18 Oct 1923
16 Feb1978

Ernest Ray Hayes loved to have an ice cold malt beer on a hot summer day. I can remember him sitting on the porch swing, wiping sweat off his face with a handkerchief, and taking a long drink of that cold beer. My sister Cricket tells of when they were young, before I was born, of him waking them up in the morning; he would come in and tell them to wake up and the girls would roll over and pull the covers over their head. He would then go over and pick their big toe up, raising their foot up into the air. Cricket says it was the most annoying thing, but effective; it got them up out of bed quick!
He was a man that loved to work with his hands; he had been a cabinet maker and a journeyman machinist. He had also been a newsman and a photographer. He hand crafted the most beautiful furniture out of wood. Here was someone that, at the age of 23, took on 3 little girls and never, not once, made them feel they were unwanted or unloved, they were his daughters - to this day, as he will always be, he is their beloved Daddy.
Ernest Hayes served his Country during WWII and was proud to do so. He worked hard his whole life but, unfortunately, died young at the age 54. He was a loving husband and father and all of his daughters are proud to call him Dad - "Daddy we love and miss you" - Debra Hayes Brodbeck.