Robert Joseph Hayes Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, and Veteran Robert Joseph Hayes, 86, of Abilene, Texas, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2025, at home and surrounded by his loved ones. Robert was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John and Helen Hayes. He attended Christopher Columbus High School and went on to study at the University of Massachusetts. In 1961, he joined the United States Air Force, serving honorably as a radar engineer until 1964. During his service, Robert was stationed in Vermont and Mississippi before returning to Boston. Robert - known to most friends and family as Bob - was always on the move, and naturally athletic; he was even invited to join try-outs with the Boston Red Sox as a young man. While an injury kept him from continuing, he spent many more years playing basketball and softball while always cheering on the Sox, Pats, and Celtics. The game of golf, however, became Bob's most beloved hobby and sport - shooting an impressive 83 on his 84th birthday. Following his military service, Bob built a 22 year career with the U.S. Postal Service, where he worked first as a mail carrier and later as a supervisor. In 1986, Bob spotted the perfect escape from the frigid New England winters in a 'Rand' McNally list of places to retire and packed his wife, Margarita, and youngest child, Mari, into a U-Haul truck for the move to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Over the next 30 years, Bob became a staple face on base and on the 9-hole course at White Sands Missile Range, where he worked part-time and sent many a golfer twice his size and half his age cursing into the sunset with his effortless swing and style. Bob was a selfless neighbor and dedicated family man, never slow to respond in killing a backyard rattlesnake (with a golf club, of course), carpooling a gang of Girl Scouts across town, or donning full face paint and bunny ears to trick-or-treat around Windmill Court. Bob also loved learning, and continuously impressed his wife with clever DIY projects and repairs around the house. His favorite project, however, was certainly the house he built of Rastra insulated concrete blocks at Sonoma Ranch - its structural integrity and energy efficiency is likely still unmatched! Bob spent his final years with Margarita in Abilene, Texas, where he spoiled his grandkids with trips to the mall, and spiced up Sunday family dinners with his Yankee politics and delightfully dry humor. Bob is survived by his devoted wife of 48 years, Margarita Hayes; his daughter Susan Clark and son-in-law Paul Clark of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK and their children Clio Renee and Jack Robert Clark; his son Neil Hayes of Bedford, Texas, and his son, Atticus Hayes; his daughter Mari Cockerell and son-in-law Chris Cockerell, of Abilene, Texas, and their children, Robert Cash, Cecilia Josephine, and Edward Everett Cockerell. Bob also leaves behind his much loved brother, Jack Hayes of Weymouth, Massachusetts. A service will be held for his family and friends July 14, 2025, at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery, in Abilene,Texas, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Big Brothers Big Sisters Abilene, in Robert's memory.