Dr. Robert Daniel Hays of Cleveland, Tennessee, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 7, 2025, at the age of 91 in the house he built 50 years ago and in the bedroom where Beverly, his beloved wife of 69 years, drew her last breath last year.
Born on February 1, 1933, outside of Johnson City, Tennessee, Danny arrived into a simple and spartan home, whose hard surroundings known as the Depression had long been just a way of life for the people there. Danny always loved to be on the go, so it is fitting that he arrived early at 6 1/2 months, weighing less than 3 pounds. It was considered at that time a miracle that he survived. His mother, Dicie McClain, was the oldest of seven children. Dicie had lost her own mother during the birth of her youngest brother, leaving Dicie with the responsibilities of being a mother while still a teenager. Dicie's strength and resilience were passed on to her newborn son.
Danny's father, Ralph, had little reason to travel beyond the surrounding county, but he was called away to serve his country in World War II. He survived the landing on Normandy beach but was killed in combat in France at the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945. Throughout his life, Danny proudly kept on display the Purple Heart that Ralph had received posthumously.
Soon after and for unclear medical reasons, Danny went deaf. He eventually regained hearing in one ear but never in the other. Despite these challenges and against all odds and reason, Danny graduated at the top of his high school class and the first in the family to go to college. He enrolled at Tennessee Wesleyan College (in Athens TN), for whose generosity he was forever grateful and where he would become an accomplished student, a varsity athlete in football, basketball, and tennis, and ironically given his diminished hearing, an accomplished singer. To support himself, Danny worked in the boiler room that heated a nearby small hospital, where he was given a room as part of his pay. It was there that he came up with the ridiculous idea to become a doctor himself.
After graduating from TWC, Danny moved to the stronger economy of Atlanta, in search of work to save enough to go to medical school. There, he would meet his wife, Beverly Riley, who at age 19 had mastered the skills of typing which she would later use to support Danny in medical school and support their three young children. After graduating, Danny was recruited to work as a physician in Athens at the same hospital where had he worked years earlier in the boiler room.
Danny soon became "Doc" to his friends, colleagues, and family as well. Throughout his life, he paid little attention to money, and the early days of his practice were a net loss. He began as a true "country doctor," always wanting to help anyone he could any way. He was a much respected and beloved physician, taking considerable pride in having delivered hundreds of babies in his general practice. Before the advent of third-party payments for medical services, Danny would go on unpaid "house calls" driving throughout the county, often taking one of his young children with him late at night to witness the challenging circumstances of many families in the community.
Strongly believing as he did in the value of education, Danny went back to school as a resident at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was the oldest in the program to become a radiologist. Upon completion, he began his practice in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he practiced until the early 1980's when he became Chief of Radiology in nearby Sweetwater, practicing there until retiring at age 75.
Danny enjoyed life to its fullest, and with Beverly developed many meaningful friendships. Danny was known for never complaining, never being critical, or arguing. He was kind, always turned the other cheek. He was authentic to the core. He put on no airs. He was what many would call a Great American, with a flag often proudly flying in front of his house. Given the many handyman jobs he had as a youth, he took pride in being able to fix anything.
"Doc" also believed that life should be lived to its fullest. He saw the humor, and goodness, in absolutely everything. He could be mischievous and thought some rules were made to be broken. He loved to be entertained and would say so. Rather than ask, why do something, his default was always "why not?"
Danny made people feel welcomed and important. He was quick to see the good in the most unexpected and unfortunate of circumstances. The proverbial "glass half full" was for him, always full to the top. Even when life veered off course or did not turn out as hoped, he would smile and confidently pronounce "I like it better this way." When questioned how or why it was "better," he would offer his reasoning, which usually sounded preposterous at first, but then on reflection often rang true. He found good in all of life's circumstances, no matter how seemingly dire or unfortunate. He was hard-wired to deflect misfortune, look for the good in people, move forward, and never look back. Second-guessing and regrets were rarely, if ever, expressed.
He celebrated the success of others more than his own and considered what most people think of as just average to be "the Greatest." And he meant it. He often reminded people that they "had it all." Everything was going right, at least everything that really mattered. The understandable immediate reaction would be to nod and dismiss what you thought was a nice but cheerleading line, said out of habit with no substance behind it until, there again, you realized that he really believed it. And on reflection, you realized he was right - that so many do in fact "have it all" but are so busy wanting more that they don't even know it.
His greatest passion was his family. He was the role model father and husband. Those were the two roles he cared about most, and he considered his closest friends to be family. His was a life of unbelievable resilience. He was thankful always for everything. He strongly believed that to have lived at all was an absolute blessing and miracle from God.
Danny will be remembered as a man of great character, whose faith-filled life was a testament to his belief in kindness and giving.
Danny was committed to the community he loved, serving as President of the Tennessee Wesleyan Alumni Association and as a member of the Board of Trustees. He served on the Board of Directors of United Way, March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, and Southern Heritage Bank. He was a member of the Elks Club, Bulls and Bears, and President of the Cleveland Country Club. While in Athens, he was a member of the City Council and served two terms as Vice Mayor. His special interests included the mission work of his church and tutoring young children. His hobbies included golf and travel with Beverly, friends, and family. He had a voracious appetite for history and culture, accumulating volumes of books and literature about world events, especially those covering the history of WWII.
Danny is survived by his children, Robert Hays Jr. (Jennifer), Rhonda Brandon (Doug), and Richard Hays (Goga), as well as grandchildren: Hays Estes (Houston), Alex Guisinger (Matt), Bailey Brandon (Julie), Kathryn Hays, Ben Hays, Robert Hays III (Emma Kate), Sallie Martinez (Andy) and Richard Hays; and also survived by eight great grandchildren, as well as loving nieces and nephews and cousins.
The family wishes to extend deep thanks to the loving support of many extraordinary friends in Cleveland and elsewhere, to the church, and beyond what words can express to the remarkable and dedicated caregivers Mary Payne, Saliena Sizemore, and Anika Smith who tirelessly gave extraordinary loving care each day and night.
It turns out Danny himself was "the greatest" even though he never had full appreciation for how special his story and example have been. But his family knows they are all blessed by the most inspiring life and story that we know. Danny's memory will live on in the hearts of his family and those who knew him. Danny, Dad, Granddad, and Daddy Doc: you had it all, and in you, so did we.
The family will receive friends on February 1, 2024, at Broad Street, United Methodist Church, 155 Central Ave., Cleveland, TN 37311, from 1:00 to 2:00pm, followed by a celebration of Danny's life at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, should friends desire, memorial contributions can be made to Tennessee Wesleyan College or the Broadstreet United Methodist Church.
Broad Street United Methodist Church
Broad Street United Methodist Church
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