William Melvin Hays

WILLIAM MELVIN “BILL” HAYS Funeral services for Cortez resident William Melvin “Bill” Hays will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 24 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. Interment will follow at Cortez Cemetery. Father Larry Bradford will officiate and military honors will be provided by Ute Mountain American Legion Post #75. Visitation has been scheduled for Wednesday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ertel Chapel. Bill was born February 25, 1926 in Portland, Ore. the son of Edward F. and Zelma Mae (Nauldin) Hays. He passed away on Friday, June 18, 2010 at Southwest Memorial Hospital at the age of 84. On June 16, 1968, Bill married Helen Elizabeth Jones in Sparks, Nev. A devoted member of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Bill also was a part of the Oregon Chapter of the 10th Mountain Division. In his free time, Bill enjoyed fishing, hunting, and reading. A writing enthusiast, Bill liked to write poetry and short auto-biographical stories. Surviving Bill are his loving wife, Helen Hays of Cortez; his children, Cheryl Battleson of Beaverton, Ore., and William E. Hays of Eugene, Ore.; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Bill also leaves behind his step-children, Terry Strahorn of Gillette, Wyo., and Donald L. Denison of Cortez; and his brother, Edward F. Hays Jr. of Vancouver, Wash. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; and by his step-son, Gary R. Denison.