Robert Hayes Obituary

Robert Earl Hayes Mt. Pleasant - Robert Earl "Bob" Hayes, 60, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, husband of Tracy Heim Hayes, passed away peacefully Friday, June 19, 2020 at his home. A private graveside service for family was held June 23 at Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Reverend Dr. Peter Bynam, Pastor at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church performed the memorial service with arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mount Pleasant Chapel. Bob was born April 25, 1960 in Miami, Florida, son of the late Marlon Carl "Lonnie" Hayes and Eleanor Wallace Hayes. He grew up in Coral Gables, Florida, graduated from Coral Gables High School in 1978, and Furman University in 1983. He taught and coached football at Apalachicola High School in Florida from 1983-1985 where he met his , Tracy. In 1985, he returned to Furman University to earn a Master's Degree and coach football as a graduate assistant. From 1987-2000, Bob taught and coached at Stratford High School, where under head coach Ray Stackley the Knights won the 1999 AAAA state championship in football. He assumed the the head football coach and athletic director position at Wando High School in 2000. For twenty years, Bob enjoyed and was devoted to his career in coaching and athletic administration, and believed whole-heartedly in the power of educating and building character through athletics. His guiding principle, and that of his principal, friend and mentor, Lucy Beckam, was to always "do what's best for the kids." Under his direction, and through the dedication of Wando's coaches, Wando High School's athletic programs won many accolades including 53 state championships during his tenure. He was selected as an assistant coach for both the North-South Allstar Game and the Shrine Bowl. For twelve years, Bob served on the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association (SCACA) board of directors, including four years as the SCACA representative to the South Carolina High School League. Bob was an integral part of the design of the Charleston County School District 2 Stadium, which opened on the Wando High School Campus in 2018, and on May 29, 2020, the Charleston County School District honored his contributions to Wando Athletics by naming the stadium field the "Robert E. Hayes Field." Bob enjoyed fishing, traveling the United States, and spending time with his family that included in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews and friends. He had a close set of friends whom he thought of as brothers and sisters. He was known for his quiet demeanor and witty one-liners, and will long be remembered as a loving and devoted son, husband, father, brother, coach, mentor and friend. Bob is survived by his wife of nearly 36 years, Tracy, their two children Alexis Mair Hayes and Samuel Max Hayes, his mother, Eleanor Wallace Hayes, sisters, Beverly Carney (Paul) and Barbra Harley (Tom), brother, Bruce Hayes (Sharon), brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews. Memorials may be made in his name to the Wando All Sports Booster Club, P.O. Box 2359, Mount Pleasant, SC 29465 or online at Lowcountry Fellowship of Christian Athletes, lowcountryfca.org; and Lowcountry Lutheran Hospice, Attn: LHSC Foundation, 1885 Rifle Range Road, Suite 46, Mt. Pleasant, SC, 29464 or lutheranhospice.org. A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston