Tori Eileen Hayman

Ms. Tori Eileen Hayman, 42, peacefully passed from this life on Saturday, February 23, 2019, surrounded by family at the University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.  Tori was born in Orange, New Jersey, on June 1, 1976 to proud parents, Sherwood and Marisa (Howard) Hayman.  At the age of five, the family relocated to Hopewell, Virginia, where Tori and would spend her formative years.  Tori would later move to the Roanoke Valley in the western part of the state and graduate from Blacksburg High School. 

Always a faithful and hard worker, Tori held only a few jobs during her short life.  For a number of years during and after high school, Tori held a food services position at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg.  Upon her return to New Jersey, Tori took a position with Metal Textiles (“Metex”) in Edison, a leading manufacturer of various products found in the automotive, aerospace, industrial and petrochemical industries. Tori spent more than eleven years at Metex before moving on to Fairmont Cemetery, where she served as an office manager and receptionist for the last six years of her life.

Tori had many hobbies – among them, taking in a movie, reading novels, spending time with her family and sewing blankets – but by far the greatest pastime she enjoyed was professional wrestling.  Whether on television or live at the local sports arena, if professional wrestling was on, Tori was present and watching.

Tori was predeceased by her father, Sherwood; paternal grandparents, Floyd and Shirley Hayman; maternal grandfather, Maurice Howard; aunt, Geralyn Drayton; uncle, Sean Drayton; and cousin, Ijeoma Uduma. 

Tori is survived by her loving mother, Marisa Howard; maternal grandmother, Jacquetta Drayton; and  two little sisters, Sherisa Hayman Mitchell and Jermikka Hayman, and a baby brother, Jerri Dywan Hayman. 

Of course, Tori will also be fondly remembered and greatly missed by the rest of her close-knit family, especially all of her uncles and aunts, with whom she shared very special and close relationships including: Todd Drayton (Trina) of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey; Caril Howard of Petersburg, Virginia; Alvis Howard of Corona, California; and Maurice Howard, Jr. of Petersburg, Virginia.  Tori will also be deeply missed by nearly two dozen adoring cousins, namely Quettara, Isabella, Sean, Noah and Samantha Drayton, Faizah and Ma’arij (Hillarie) Howard; Al’Shan (Mina), ShandAl, Jaquan, Jaquiyl, Naji and Amar Barnett-Howard; Cory, Ashley, Quadeara, Maurice Howard, III, Khamani, Amiyah, Niyah, Priya, Gia, and Maxton Howard.  Perhaps most of all, Tori will be sorely missed by her two young nephews, Jayden and Justin Hayman, who just adored their auntie.  

Service will be held 11:00 A.M., Saturday, March 9, 2019 in the Chapel of J. M. Wilkerson Funeral Establishment, Inc., 102 South Avenue, Petersburg, VA. The interment to follow at Blandford Cemetery. 


The family will receive friends from 5:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M., Friday, March 8, 2019 at the funeral establishment.

The family request that all floral arrangements, donations and expressions of sympathy be  forwarded to the funeral establishment:  Attn: The Hayman Family.

J.M. Wilkerson Funeral Establishment, Inc., 102 South Avenue, Petersburg, VA, (804) 732-8911, watch the funeral services live online at www.jmwilkersonsince1874.com.