Dwayne F. Hayes

Dwayne Hayes was born in Tampa, FL on June 28, 1957, to Lorenzo and Hazel Hayes.
His sister, Kathy Hayes, was born in 1963, and they remained close. Dwayne and Kathy
grew up in Oldsmar near their grandparents and great grandmother where Lorenzo
served as a volunteer fire chief for the City of Oldsmar. Kathy remained there until
hurricanes flooded the area in 2024. She now resides in Palm Harbor.
Dwayne attended Oldsmar Elementary, Safety Harbor Junior High, and graduated from
Dunedin High School in 1975. He met his wife, Tammy, two years later at a local
restaurant where she was working. They became friends and over the next ten years
that friendship grew. They married in 1988 and bought a home in Tampa in 1990 where
they remained until he passed away on January 16, 2026. For the past 15 years, they
lived with their two cats, Fluffy and Shadow.
Dwayne and Tammy did not have any children of their own but became legal guardians
to their teenage nephews, Donald and Christopher See, when their mother passed
away in 1998. Dwayne's mother also passed away in 1998. It was a rough year with five
funerals in six months. Dwayne and Tammy both lost close grandmothers, Tammy's
sister (Donald and Chris's mother), Tammy's stepfather, Nick, and Dwayne's mother,
Hazel. Lorenzo eventually remarried, and Mary became part of the family. Lorenzo and
Mary currently live in Micanopy, FL (just north of Ocala).
Donald and Chris both grew up to become good men. Donald currently has 10-year-old
twins, Declan and Cheyenne See, and lives in Oldsmar. Chris married Akael and has a
5-year-old daughter named Willoe See. They live nearby in Tampa, so Dwayne picked
Willoe up every day after school while she was in VPK and kindergarten until he
became sick, and it was the highlight of his day. Donald and Chris have a younger half-
sister, Barbara Foss, whose father took her in when their mother passed. She currently
lives with her husband, Steve, and two children-9-year-old Raymond and 5-year-old
Robyn-in Titusville, FL. Dwayne and Tammy considered all five kids the grandchildren
they never had and often joked about figuring out how to be grandparents without
raising children.
Dwayne initially worked in retail, then as a baker for Publix for many years where he
met some of his dearest friends. He retired in the summer of 2023 after working for 20
years at FedEx, most recently as a dangerous goods specialist at Tampa Airport.
At various times throughout his life, Dwayne liked playing backgammon and chess,
bowling, billiards, visiting museums, and volunteering. Dwayne enjoyed cooking and
baking, dining out and drinking craft beer, Irish whiskey and Jack Daniels, and playing
golf. He and his wife enjoyed watching sports together, especially professional football
and hockey, and attended many games. They treasured their Sundays at home during
football season. He was also a music fan, and they attended some great concerts over
the years.
They traveled often and took about 10 cruises during their 37 years of marriage. One of
their most memorable trips was in 2014 when they went to Ireland with a group of
friends, and their longest cruise was 10 days to the Panama Canal. Tammy's job
involved a lot of business travel and Dwayne would often meet her so they could
explore and enjoy the local cuisine. Some of his favorite cities included New Orleans,
Boston, and San Francisco. They also spent two anniversaries in New York City,
including their 20 th. Dwayne and Tammy usually traveled for their anniversary on
November 12 th. This past year, Tammy had a conference in Columbus, OH that week
and Dwayne flew up to join her. They had dinner at a nice French restaurant and spent
a few days with friends who drove down from Cleveland.
Dwayne was an adventurous eater with a laid-back personality who loved spending time
with his family and friends. He died peacefully after a brief bout with lymphoma. He fell
asleep on their way back from a doctor's appointment and never woke up. His wife was
with him. Dwayne touched a lot of lives and will be remembered and missed by many.