Bryan DeLaney Hayes

Bryan DeLaney Hayes, 48

On Sunday morning, 23 July 2023, Bryan Hayes moved on to a better place --- suddenly and without much of a flourish, following a month-long series of surgeries, recoveries, etc. Bryan was born on 12 October 1974 in Bangkok, Thailand, to Lynn and Billie Hayes.

He is survived by his mother, his brother Barry, and cousins Kimberly King of Sierra Vista, Christy Lynn Spencer of Greenville TX, and Robin King Ford of Farmersville TX. He was predeceased by his loving father Lynn, and his beloved Aunt Becky King, as well as grandmothers Roberta Needham and Elva Sue Davis.

Growing up as an “Army Brat”, Bryan relocated with the family to Sierra Vista (twice), Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, Seoul Korea, and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio TX.

He participated in the usual team sports --- soccer, T-Ball, baseball, swimming, and basketball, ultimately settling into art and competitive tennis. Bryan was selected into the Gifted and Talented Art program in middle school, winning numerous blue ribbon awards in acrylic painting and sculpture. Ten years ago, with all thanks to Deanna Bellinger, Bryan had a one-man art exhibit in Bisbee under the auspices of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). The game of tennis, however, became Bryan’s “go-to” in life. As a junior player, he achieved national rankings in the US Tennis Association, and sectional rankings in both the Southwest Tennis Association and the Texas Tennis Association. He was also on the Varsity tennis squad at Buena High for one year before attending the John Newcombe Tennis Academy in New Braunfels TX, where he graduated from New Braunfels High School in 1993. Bryan went on to earn scholarships, first at the New Mexico Military Institute, where he prepped for his appointment to the US Naval Academy. Not being cut out for that level of discipline, Bryan declined the Annapolis experience in favor of three years as an athlete scholar at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. His summer experiences included being selected to represent the United States in Junior Davis Cup competition in Poughkeepsie, NY, and instructing tennis at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY.

Bryan was able to achieve these things in spite of being impacted by various forms of mental illness --- primarily bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia. To the uninitiated, this may not seem significant. To those of us with insight into mental illness, however, it is to be recognized as quite monumental.

In fact, Bryan achieved a great deal of success, in spite of these obstacles.

There will be a memorial service at the Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church on Lenzner Avenue at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, 28 July, with a reception following. Pastor Patsy Koeneke will be presiding, and long-time friend Wes Moulton will be at the organ.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to NAMI in Sierra Vista would be the greatest tribute. Address is 4032 E. La Linda Way, Sierra Vista AZ 85635.

Bryan...may you rest in peace.

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