James William Hayes, 80, of Henry, Tennessee, died November 28, 2022. Better known as Jim, he was born on Christmas Day in 1941 in Humboldt, Tennessee, to James Rufus “J. R.” Hayes and Mildred Lee McGraw Hayes. Jim graduated from Bethel College (now Bethel University) in McKenzie, Tennessee, in 1964. He succeeded his father as president of the JR Hayes Construction Company in Paris, Tennessee. For 50 years, Jim was an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Paris. He married Roslynn Matlock Hayes, the daughter of the Reverend Ralph Matlock, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, on April 7, 1963. They met on a blind date at Bethel. Roslynn and Jim’s son, the Reverend Brian Hayes, is a Cumberland Presbyterian minister in Covenant Presbytery. Daughter Tonya Hayes Nash is a professor in Bethel’s Physician Assistant program. Daughter-in-law Debbie Hayes is an elected member of the Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Memphis Theological Seminary Professor Emeritus the Reverend Dr. Clinton Buck was Jim’s brother-in-law and Ronda Matlock Buck is his sister-in-law. Jim and Roslynn’s daughters Kayla and Kendra live in Paris, Tennessee.