James Hays

1951 - 2024

James Hays

May 28,1951 - November 5, 2024

James Russell "Jim" Hays, M.D., 73, of Whitehouse, Ohio, passed away November 5, 2024, the 48th anniversary of his marriage to Brenda, who survives him. He was adored by his patients, colleagues, and family alike. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, to the late James A. and Lillian F. Hays.

Jim always focused on helping people and making them smile. He studied Biology at the University of Toledo, earning a bachelor's degree in 1973, and then enrolled in the School of Medical Technology. After graduating, he started his career as a Registered Medical Technologist at St. Charles Hospital, where he met his wife, Brenda. He was perennially curious, and decided to enroll in medical school at the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo (MCOT), and graduated as a medical doctor in 1983. He began his residency in general surgery at Wright State University, but decided anesthesia was his passion, and focused on completing his anesthesia residency program at MCOT.

After becoming a board-certified Anesthesiologist, he initially practiced at Bellevue Hospital in Bellevue, Ohio, and then moved back to the Toledo area to be closer to his family, and practice at Mercy Hospital. He later practiced at St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, where he became Section Head of Anesthesia, and served on the planning committee for Surgicare, becoming its first Board Chair, which allowed him to have influence over his greatest passion, patient care. While at St. Luke's, he was an avid supporter of Operation Smile, a charity to fix cleft palates in children.

He then decided to move to ProMedica Parkway Surgery Center, where he could also be a member of the Quality Care Committee at ProMedica Toledo Hospital, and continue to have a positive influence on patient care in Toledo.

Jim retired from active practice in 2017, but never lost his interest in quality care or serving others. He continued to attend conferences of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia, and the Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists, to read medical journals, and to give frequent advice to family and friends about all kinds of maladies and ailments.

He could diffuse any tense or difficult situation with his sense of humor, positive attitude, and charm. He would become fast friends with anyone, and was a consummate student of every trade and skill. He enjoyed propagating and planting hundreds of trees, carefully irrigating and fertilizing each one. He was a Do-It-Yourself enthusiast, and loved to tackle any project, no matter the size, whether it be installing a gas or water line, or renovating a bathroom.

Along with his wife, Jim is survived by his sons, Matthew (April) Hays of Whitehouse, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois, and Michael (Anna) Hays of Columbus, Ohio; and grandchildren, Lillian, John, Molly, Austin, Violet, and Marigold. Jim loved an adventure and went around the world, from Doha, Qatar; Paris, France; and Tokyo, Japan; to Los Angeles, Miami, Maine, and Alaska, always accompanied by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He particularly loved giving his grandchildren rides on his "country wheelchair," his affectionate name for his John Deere Gator.

He was a member for 30 years of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, and always appreciated a good philosophical debate. He had a deep appreciation for history, and wanted to bring it to life for his family, visiting the beaches of Normandy and the battlefields of Yorktown, Gettysburg, and Fort Sumter.

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 11, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at Peinert-Dunn Funeral Home, 6603 Providence St., Whitehouse, Ohio 43571. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church, 4560 Glendale Ave., Toledo, Ohio 43614. Interment will follow at Roth Cemetery on Keener Rd., in Monclova, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to Trinity Lutheran Church, or, The Cherry Street Mission.

www.dunnfuneralhome.com