Daniel Sickels Hayes ’81 died on February 4, 2022, in Portland, Maine
(The following was provided by the Brackett Funeral Home on February 4, 2022)
Topsham, ME – Daniel Sickels Hayes, 62, passed away unexpectedly on February 4th after surgery complicated by underlying conditions with his wife and daughters by his side. He was a man of integrity devoted to his family, career, and life in Maine.
He was born July 5, 1959, in Lewiston to Norman Everett and Katherine Sickels Hayes. The youngest of five children, he spent his childhood on West Auburn Road, learning to ski at Lost Valley, and summers on Casco Terrace in Falmouth and exploring the islands of Casco Bay. “Starting at age 11”, he worked for the family business “carrying 50-lb bags of flour” and as a yard boy caring for Falmouth estates with his brothers. These passions for family, work, skiing, and boating endured throughout his life.
He graduated from Edward Little High School in the top ten and was a three-sport athlete. He attended Bowdoin College, his father’s alma mater, where he met his future wife, Anna McManus Hayes, fell in love, and they began their life together. He belonged to Theta Delta Chi Fraternity where life-long friends (including Pat McManus, Doug Belden, and Jeff Gorodetsky) were made. He pursued his love of skiing through the Bowdoin ski team as captain and coach.
Majoring in math and economics set him on a career path in finance, ultimately attaining executive level positions at BIW, Unum, and Prudential before ending his forty-two-year career as COO of Custom Disability Solutions before his passing. He was known as the “guy who got it done.” He held strong opinions but was open to other perspectives. A dedicated and strong leader, he had great business acumen and made strong connections with his colleagues, maintaining loyal relationships with them. He was also a dedicated volunteer, providing his no-nonsense get-it-done expertise as a board member of the Topsham Public Library and Snowbrook Village Condo Association.
Dan and Anna were married for forty years and lived out their marriage in selfless love and devotion to each other. They raised three daughters much in the same manner as Dan was raised, instilling in them his love of skiing and the water, while impressing upon them the importance of family, education, and doing the right thing. He loved his girls and was proud of their accomplishments and chosen careers: an actuary, a pediatrician, and a school counselor. He loved the men his daughters married and the grandchildren he was teaching to ski.
Dan expressed his love best through cooking for family and friends, including his mother who lived until age 98. He was grateful for what he had, and he didn’t need much to make him happy. He loved the neighborhood where he raised his family and built longtime friendships, his life in Maine, and annual vacations at the Samoset and Sugarloaf. He travelled the world for work and family traditions, but was happiest coming home.
He is survived by his wife, Anna McManus Hayes; his children, Megan Farrior (Fields), Katie Ozarowski (Alan), and Molly Ellis (TJ); his grandchildren, Grace, Mary, and Greta Ozarowski, James Farrior, and Kali Ellis; his siblings, Linc Hayes (Priscilla), Robert Hayes (Bonnie), Nancy Conant (Dave), and Peter Hayes (Michelle); his father-in-law, Reginald P. McManus; in-laws Chris McManus (Laurie), Kathy McManus (Jorn Flatvoll), Pat McManus (Mary Elizabeth), and John McManus (Deborah); and many nieces and nephews who loved him and his hospitality.
He was predeceased by his parents, Norman Everett and Katherine Sickels, and by his mother-in-law, Kathleen Flanagan McManus.