John O. Hayes

John O. Hayes, 81, of Davenport, died Thursday, August 15, 2024, at the University of Iowa Hospital, Iowa City.

John Oscar Hayes was born on July 11, 1943, in Moline, Illinois, son of John Edward and Lola May (Baker) Hayes. He graduated from Moline High School in 1961, where he was president of his junior and senior class, a high hurdler on the 1960 State Champion Boys Track Team, and a Junior Rotarian. John attended Iowa State University as a co-op student affiliated with Deere & Company. He graduated from Iowa State with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1966 and received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1969. 

John joined Deere & Company initially in the patent law department and continued in the corporate law department. In total he served for 38 years with Deere, finishing his career as Associate General Counsel in 2000. His expertise included the area of product liability defense claims. John also enjoyed a brief tenure as Moline City Attorney while associated with Moline attorneys Churchill & Churchill. 

John married Barbara Shrader on August 19, 1967. Together they had their daughter Sarah. John met Nancy Priester of Davenport at a pre-symphony dinner February 5th of 1983 and wedding bells rang on December 27th. They considered 1983 their magical year, blending their families of Marion and Sarah. In three years, they added a son, John Dudley, and raised their family in Davenport.

Together with his wife, John invested time and love in reconstructing 10 acres of tall-grass prairie and reestablishing his ancestral homestead in Toolesboro, Iowa. John and Nancy cultivated a love of wine, including chairing the St. Ambrose’s wine festival one year. Nancy and John also shared their love of Iowa State University through which they met countless lifelong friends. 

 John had a great sense of service, acting as trustee on many boards including the Quad City Symphony Trust for 10 years, the Putnam Museum, the First Congregational United Church of Christ, and the Iowa State University Research Foundation. He also served as an Iowa State University Foundation governor, a lifetime appointment held by ISU’s most distinguished and respected alumni.

Those left to honor his memory are his wife, Nancy, Davenport, Iowa; children: Sarah Hayes (Paul Goodson), Port Byron, Illinois; Marion Bonar (Ian Bonar), Reno, Nevada; and John “J. D.” Hayes (Lauren Hayes), Iowa City, Iowa; grandchildren: Julia and Brooklyn Bonar; Ava, Nick, Evan, and Ruby Goodson; a sister, Dorothy Cutlip, Arlington Heights, Illinois; a brother-in-law, William Cutlip, Silver Spring, Maryland; and many special nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Patricia Cutlip, and a brother-in-law, Jack Cutlip.

To celebrate John’s life, visitation will be held Wednesday, August 21, 2024, from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, 614 Main Street, Davenport. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 22 at 10:30 am at First Congregation United Church of Christ, 2201 7th Avenue, Moline, with an additional visitation at the church from 9:30 am until the time of service. 

Memorials may be made to Fairview Church Preservation Group (Louisa County), Quad City Symphony, or the Putnam Museum.