John Hayden

John Hayden
10/09/2024
John Terrell Hayden died peacefully in hospice care at UCSF Hospital on Wednesday, October 9th , 2024. He was 76 years old. He was born in Washington, D.C. to Ethel Carter and Albert Courtney Hayden. John had a brother Courtney who predeceased him. He attended Annunciation Catholic grade school and then went on to St. John's College High School, both in D.C. It was at St. John's that he discovered his love of theater and appeared in several musical productions. He had a beautiful singing voice and delivered an outstanding performance there as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls.
John had his heart set on attending Boston College, and only Boston College. He was so excited when he was accepted. He continued his theatrical performances there and also loved B.C. football. He was a lifelong fan and watched every game he could and recorded all the results year after year. After John graduated, he set his sights on law school. He graduated from UCLA Law School, and made Law Review, which was a prestigious honor. He loved the West Coast and the proximity to so many National Parks and decided to make his home in California. He accepted a position with Littler Mendelson, P.C., a corporate law firm in San Francisco. He eventually made partner before he retired.
Even while working, John found time to appear in local musical productions in the Berkeley, CA area where he lived. He was very modest and told few people about this endeavor. Imagine their surprise when colleagues went to a play and saw John in it. He also became successful in the real estate world and bought properties and condos in vacation destinations such as Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs, and Hawaii among others. He loved to travel all over the world, and on a trip to Africa, he climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
John loved the outdoors and originally spent his weekends playing tennis at local public courts with friends he would meet there and became a very good tennis player. But when he discovered hiking, it was no real surprise that he switched over completely and joined the San Francisco Hiking Club. He made many friends there and whenever someone was struggling with a hike, it was always John who assisted them, earning him the honorary title "Saint John." Each summer he hosted a pool and cookout party at his beautiful second home in Lafayette, CA for the entire club. As it turned out, he loved gardening and landscaping too, and his terraced backyard at Lafayette was a thing of beauty.
John is survived by his cousins Zoe Ann Vest, Patricia Reagan, Trella Sardo, and their children. John had many friends and was a kind yet private person, and never wished to inconvenience anyone in any way. So although no service is scheduled, I'm sure he would like it if at your convenience, you dropped by Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suitland, MD and visited. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to one of two musical theater organizations where John performed and loved. Woodminster Summer Musicals, in Berkeley, CA, or The Mountain Play, in San Rafael, CA.