Tim Hayes loved to swim. Cold ocean water or chlorine-infused pool, he felt at home. His final act was to swim, and he passed peacefully on Feb. 16, 2024 doing something he loved.

Tim was born March 27, 1957 in Kansas City, Kansas, and grew up enjoying lake time with lots of cousins, aunts and uncles. He was a strong supporter of family and community.

Tim attended St. Joseph’s High School in Shawnee, Kansas, in a graduating class of 100 students. He and his classmates had a great camaraderie and enjoyed spending time together.

Tim, of course, was a member of the swim team from a young age and carried that love of exercise throughout his life.

After high school he signed up for the Air Force and qualified for the GI education bill. He attended college part-time during his four years in the Air Force and transferred to the University of Illinois after his service.

Tim majored in nuclear engineering at the University of Illinois and began his professional career at General Electric Nuclear Energy Business Operations in San Jose, California in 1982. While there, he met his wife Suzanne “Suzie” Halsted, who was a California native.

Noticing the differences between the Midwest and California kept Suzie and Tim amused throughout their 38-year marriage.

Tim earned a masters degree in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley as part of the General Electric Engineering Training Program. Tim worked in Silicon Valley during the go-go ’80s, and especially enjoyed marketing and sales of networking products.

Tim and Suzie had two children, Rick and Jackie, in 1989 and 1991. Tim coached the kids’ many sports teams and attended all the games. He was very supportive of his family.

Tim moved with his family to Santa Barbara in 1993 to be close to family, and enjoyed an almost 30-year career in telecommunications there.

He loved the Santa Barbara lifestyle of tennis, swimming, yoga and pickleball. He made many friends within the Ocean Ducks open water swimming community and through the Cathedral Oaks Athletic Club. He looked forward to ocean swimming with his friends, and he did not mind the cold water.

He swam the one-, three-, and six-mile swims and one 10-mile swim during the Santa Barbara summer Semana Nautica festivals, and felt his secret weapon was that he did not get cold like the other swimmers.

Tim cherished time with his two grandchildren Luke and Mara, and always shared stories of their antics.

In the last five years of his life, Tim and Suzie traveled extensively and loved learning about European history and culture and, of course, swimming in new exotic locales.

Tim got three extra years of life when an aortic aneurysm was found and repaired. These types of aneurysms are rarely found in time. His family is blessed to have enjoyed more time with him.

His extended family in California and Kansas City will miss his dry wit and big smile. He kept them laughing with his joking, and he inspired them with his drive and outlook on life of not getting upset about things. He saw the bigger picture of being grateful for one’s life and reveled in life.

Tim leaves behind his wife Suzie Hayes; children Rick Hayes and Jackie Hayes Kjome; son-in-law RJ Kjome; grandchildren Luke and Mara Kjome; father-in-law and mother-in-law Steve and Carole Halsted; sister and brother-in-law Teresa and Doug Young; brother and sister-in-law Steve and Angela Hayes; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Chris and Dyanne Halsted; nephews Danny and Dylan Halsted; and a loving extended family in Sacramento, California; Kansas and Arizona.

Tim, we are so grateful to you for all the love and support. We appreciate and love you to the moon and back.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Heart Association in Tim’s memory.