James E. Hayes

James E. Hayes, of Clayhatchee, AL, passed away at sunrise on Saturday, December 25, 2021 at his home. He was 61. Also known as Hannibal Hayes, The Shadow, Boyfriend, Boy Toy, Poppy, BeBe, The Quiet Man, and James Brown Hayes, he is remembered by loved ones for being honest, dependable, and willing to help anyone in need. More so than for any of his pseudonyms, he is known for his dedication to his family above everything. As a young man, James briefly attended Auburn University as an aspiring engineer but returned home before graduating to help his family through an illness. Shortly after returning home, he met the woman of his dreams and was easily won over by her two kicking-and-screaming daughters; he asked all three of them to marry him. Their family was made better by the birth of his wild and weird son and was made complete several years later by the arrival of his grandson, Silas, his pride and joy. He worked 28 years at a grueling factory job to provide for his kids and only called-in sick to work one time. He was respected by his coworkers, who knew that they could call him or show up to his door at any time of the day or night if they needed help, so long as there wasn’t an Auburn game or NASCAR race on TV. James was known to dance on certain occasions, was everyone’s drinking buddy, and used hunting and fishing as an excuse to shoot the breeze and spend time with the people he loved. A fan of classic rock, he was over-the-moon to win not one, but two, call-in contests from his favorite local radio station in 2021. In his final months, he set his mind to trotline fishing, and while his illness made it difficult to get out to the water, on the night before he died James was crowned the World Champion of Air Trotline Tying by his children. While Mr. Hayes will be sorely missed by many, his spirit is currently believed to be lingering around the barn at his farm and home, blasting Lynyrd Skynyrd, and calling Alexa by the wrong name. He is now at peace. Memorial Services will be held at 2:00 PM Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at Searcy Funeral Home and Crematory Chapel. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 1:00 PM until service time. Mr. Hayes was preceded in death by his father Harold Hayes, brother Bob Hayes, in-laws Henry Glen and Shelby Lunsford, and brother in-law Randall Lunsford. Survivors include his wife, Denise Hayes, daughters Alicia Roden-Seward (Matt) and Amanda Roden, son Andrew Hayes (Amanda), mother Sherrie Faye Hayes, brother Dean Hayes (Karen), grandson Silas Hayes, and sister-in-law Stephanie Cranford (David). To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of James E. Hayes, please visit our flower store.