Jack Hayes

July 15, 1949 – May 22, 2024

Jack P Hayes, age 74, left this world to enter the pearly gates of Heaven on May 22nd 2024.

Jack was preceded in death by his father Floyd Hayes, his mother Florence Hudnall (Aftowski), his brothers: Stan Garstecki, Joe Garstecki, Bill Hayes, Stan Hayes, his sister Betty Garstecki, his grandson Christian Littlepage, and his granddaughter Rain Littlepage.

Surviving Jack are his sister Barbara Deeds (Grau), his son Pat Hayes and wife Kari, his daughter Jennifer Littlepage (Hayes) and husband Curtis, his grandson Brenden Hayes, his granddaughters Shauna Tidwell (Gillinger) and husband Steve, Paige Gillinger and significant other Thomas McFall, Rori Littlepage, Phoenix Littlepage and fiance Alexis Achterberg, Madison Julka (Hayes) and husband Gary, his great-granddaughters Kylie Tidwell, Ezmia McFall, and his great-grandsons Conner Tidwell and Carter McFall, a myriad of nieces and nephews, and ex-wife (mother to his children) Delores Kirkwood.

Jack had various work experience throughout his years which included South Bend Toy, Naturally Wood, Doc Pierces, South Bend Park Department, Morris Bingo Hall, Rainbow Bingo Hall Concession, and FOP #36 Bingo Concession.

Jack always looked forward to the holidays, even the less popular ones like Memorial Day and Labor Day. Anything that involved family and food, Jack was sure to be there. He often was a main highlight of the gatherings as he was always making people laugh with his fun and goofy nature.

Almost everyone that Jack met became a friend to him and vice versa. He enjoyed helping others and even though he didn't have much, he loved giving token gifts to his family and friends, as can be attested by the cross necklaces he gave to so many.

Everyone knew that Jack loved bingo. He would often get a gathering of people to join him at the bingo halls. It seemed that he was always at his goofiest at those times. Even when no one would achieve a bingo, we never left feeling like losers because we always had the enjoyment of Jack just being Jack as our entertainment for the evening, which was always worth going out for.

When football season rolled around, Jack was a lifelong faithful fan of the Oklahoma Sooners. He enjoyed watching college football and in recent years has started to favor Oregon Ducks as his runner-up team to the Oklahoma Sooners. He enjoyed making his own football pools and playing others.

In Jack's younger years he would host football parties at his house. Jack and his buddies would get so crazy caught up in the games that neighbors could hear them all cheering on or grumbling at just about every play in the games. They could even be heard from down the street.

Jack also very much enjoyed watching wrestling with one of his favorite wrestlers being The Undertaker. He got so excited about telling others about the matches, even if you weren't a wrestling fan.

Jack was a music fan. He enjoyed various forms of music from his favorite band The Rolling Stones to David Bowie to Fleetwood Mac (and Stevie Nicks), to Nightwish to Exit To Eden. I've only begun to touch the surface with his love for music with these groups for he had so many that it was hard for him to choose outside of these.

Jack was a dedicated horror fan. The gorier the better. Some of his favorite movies were Halloween and its sequels, Friday the 13th and it's sequels, Fright Night, and Pumpkin Head. While he did enjoy watching newer horror flicks, he held the old classics dearer to his heart. He had many actors and actresses that he said were good, but he would often mention how great of an actress that Jamie Lee Curtis is. Jack was also a big fan of The Walking Dead series and all of its spin-offs. Although not horror, another older series he would faithfully watch was 30 Something.

Jack enjoyed getting dressed up in costume to walk around with his grandkids for trick or treating at Halloween time. He also very much enjoyed going out to eat and doing non-essential shopping. His favorite places to eat were buffets, especially Big Panda buffet.

An all-time favorite thing that Jack liked to do and probably looked forward to most of all were Church festivals. He always had such a wonderful time trying for a cake on the cakewalk, attempting to get the rings on the pop bottles, eating the festival foods, and of course socializing with family and friends that attended with him and liked it best when those festivals included the bingo tent.

While not a popular opinion, Jack loved winter. The snowier the better! He would often share with his daughter, who also loves winter and snow, how he would fantasize about getting enough money so that he could move to the Northern East Coast where the winters were filled with larger amounts of snow than Indiana.

On Facebook, Jack was known for his short stories. They were usually a goofy one or two liner that would either make you laugh or gross you out. They always started with "Short Story" and ended with "The End". There are many that will miss seeing these short stories.

Jack was loved by so many, and still is. There will be a huge hole left in this world, and our hearts, knowing that Jack is missing from it now. We'll try not to cry too hard. We already miss you so much and WE LOVE YOU!

A funeral service will be held at 3:00 PM on Monday, July 15, 2024, at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, located at 10776 McKinley Highway, Osceola, Indiana.