Walter L. Hayes, age 83, of Brookings, died Saturday, November 22, 2008, at Brookview Manor in Brookings.  Funeral services will be 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, November 26, 2008, at the Brookings Wesleyan Church, with interment in Greenwood Cemetery.  Visitations will be from 4-7 P.M. Tuesday at Eidsness Funeral Home.

Walter Lyle Hayes was born November 18, 1925, at Elkton, South Dakota, to Henry Howard and Iva Pearl (Humes) Hayes.  He attended Deuel Country rural schools and then worked with his parents on the family farm. He served in the U.S. Army from 1946 until 1947, part of the time in the Philippines. He returned to farming in 1947.  On December 20, 1948, he married Mary DeKraai at Watertown, South Dakota.  In October 1950, Walt began working for the Brookings Municipal Utilities, first in the power plant and then for the water department, reading and repairing meters. He retired in October 1990.

Walt was a longtime member of the Brookings Wesleyan Church, where he enjoyed being a greeter and ushering. He was a member of Golden K Kiwanis.  He enjoyed walking the dog, gardening, yard work., and traveling.

Survivors include his wife, Mary, of Brookings; a son, Steven Hayes, of Brookings; a daughter, Alice Hayes, of Brookings; two grandchildren:  Rebecca (Brandon) Mellem and Colin Hayes, both of Fargo, North Dakota; a great-granddaughter, Eyra Mellem; and a brother, James Hayes of Los Angeles, California.  He was preceded in death by six brothers:  Claude, Roy, George, Kenneth, Woodrow, and Orville; four sisters:  Maude Johnson, Ethel Junge, Edith Beasley, and Nellie Erickson; and a great-grandson, Ari Lyle Mellem.