BELFAST — Arthur Allen Hayes, 86, after five bonus years, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at the Waldo County General Hospital, Belfast, Maine, his beloved hometown. 

Arthur was born July 31, 1937 at the Eye and Ear Infirmary in Portland, Maine to the Rev. Frederick Dennis and Clara Royden Hayes. He arrived in Belfast at the age of three months when his father took over the ministry of the First Church in Belfast, was raised for his first ten years at the parsonage on Church Street, and attended Peirce School there. The family then moved to Auburn where he graduated from Edward Little High School and Bates College with a degree in Geology. 

In 1960 he entered the Naval Officer Candidate School and after being commissioned as an Ensign, he served as Air Intelligence Officer with VA-86 deployed twice to the Mediterranean on the aircraft carrier USS Independence. In June of 1961 he married Sara Kinsel, three weeks after her graduation from Bates College, so she could begin life as a Navy wife. In October of 1962 he was sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and served on the Admiral’s staff at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sara followed him there, only to be evacuated, but was able to return in a few months, and in April of 1964, a daughter, Kathy, was born.

Civilian life began soon after with a long career in computers, beginning in New York with IBM in programming.  His son Michael was born in April of 1967.  Arthur’s career advanced through systems analysis and manufacturing systems in New Jersey with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals and Monroe Calculator, and in Connecticut with Royal Business Machines, The Hartford Courant, and Pratt & Whitney. He operated a small sign company, The Sign Stop, in Avon, Connecticut, until it was time to finally return “home” to Belfast.  Arthur remained in the naval reserve, retiring as a Commander.

Arthur was a member of the Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Fellow, and had perfect attendance for almost 40 years before breaking his record while on his “bucket list” trip to Antarctica. He also served on a variety of boards and committees in the Morris Plains Presbyterian Church, the West Avon Congregational Church, and the First Church in Belfast.

Arthur enjoyed photography, gardening, antiquing, going for drives, and collecting things: coins, stamps, books, Belfast memorabilia, and was always anxious to share the stories about his collection of Sanborn paintings, all the while wearing a plaid shirt! Let us always remember his passion for the finer things in life – lobster rolls, coffee milkshakes, and Cuba Libres.

Arthur and Sara officially retired to their inherited home in Belfast, the historic W.T. Colburn house, next door to the parsonage where he grew up. When asked when he came to Belfast, he always liked to tell the story of his ancestor Benjamin Nesmith who was one of the original founders of Belfast in 1770. That was only one of the many stories he was known for telling. They always began with “Did I tell you . . . “?

Arthur is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sara; daughter, Katherine of Belmont, Maine; son, Michael (Shannon) of Ball Ground, Georgia; three grandchildren, sister Patricia Hayes O’Donnell (Patrick); two nephews; the Royden and Carney cousins; and life-long friends, the Kiernan family, of West Hartford, Connecticut.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 2 p.m., at The First Church in Belfast, UCC. A private internment will be at Grove Cemetery at a later date. A summer celebration will be held in July at The Battery cottage.

Memorial donations can be made to the scholarship fund of the Belfast Rotary Club, P.O. Box 74, Belfast, ME 04915 or to the Hayes-Kinsel Scholarship at Bates College, 2 Andrews Road, Lewiston, ME 04240.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.ripostafh.com.