Lester Hays

Lester Hays Who s in Your Pew? He only remembers getting one spanking when he was a kid. It was applied because he came home late from school that day. I never needed another! he smiles. But than there wasn t too much trouble to get into back then. I mostly did as I was told. Lester Hays, that very bright child, remains a wise gentleman and a kind and gentle friend to this day. You ll see him at worship every Sunday. He usually sits with some of his friends from the Jolly Mixers, on the right side of the sanctuary as you face the pulpit. Les was born in 1924 in Durango, Colorado, where he learned to fish in the Animas River. He had two brothers and two sisters. He and his younger brother were very close, and Les was saddened when his brother passed away at age eight. His older sister Marilyn studied tap-dancing and eventually taught tap. She entertained the troops with the USO during World War II. Les s mom enrolled him in tap dancing class when he was about ten years old. That didn t last very long, he laughs. During a family visit to his grand-dad s house, Les went with his uncle to the bakery where his uncle worked. Les decided that he really liked what he was seeing, and that s when he decided to become a professional baker. He entered and graduated from the Sieble Institute of Technology, where he studied the science of cake baking. He learned everything the Institute taught about baking, including formulas, machinery, and management. Les joined the United States Army in 1943, during World War II. He completed basic training at Camp Swift in Texas, where he worked in the kitchen. There was a troop train from Texas to Baltimore, Maryland, and I was selected to help set up a kitchen in a boxcar. I was amazed and upset when, just before the train arrived in Baltimore, we were ordered to throw out the remaining food. We threw away whole hams and had never been touched! That winter, Les was assigned to maneuvers in Louisiana, after which he was sent to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. During overseas duty, Les was a baker for the 96th AAA Gun Battalion, and served in the Marshall Islands, specifically Johnson Island, at the Kwajalein installation. The soldiers liked having something to eat that wasn t dehydrated. The soldiers were entertained there by Bob Hope and Francis Langford. From the Marshall Islands he was sent to Hawaii, where he was stationed at Hickam Naval Airbase. I was always baking, he says modestly. Actually, he was now the Mess Sergeant. Les showed me the permanent pass that allowed him to be absent from station when he was off duty. He and his four buddies who weren t part of the rowdy crowd would go to Honolulu, eat dinner, tour local attractions, and maybe go the YMCA for a workout before they returned to base. I never got in any trouble. While stationed in Hawaii, Les got to see President Roosevelt and General MacArthur. After his three year tour of duty, Les moved to Glendale, California and went to work for Van de Kamp s where he was employed for 40 years. He enjoyed playing gold in Pasadena (by the Rose Bowl) on days off. I quizzed him about his handicap: I guess it was in the 80 s, he replied. One time my brother-in-law and I went down to San Clemente to play. Going down a rather steep hill, the brakes on the golf cart quit. The cart took off and we hung on while our clubs and everything else flew off. I was scary! We went all the way to the bottom of the hill. And then the brakes went back to working again, so we retrieved our gear and went on with our game. In 1948 Les met Marie in the Van de Kamp s lunchroom. Marie worked in the Pie Department. After they were married, Marie became a full time homemaker. The couple had one daughter, Ruth. Ruth went to school in Glendale, and from there went to college. At first she became a physical education teacher, but she didn t enjoy that work. So she enrolled at Colorado Nursing School and became a registered nurse. Ruth eventually moved to Washington and retired there. She never married, so I don t have grandkids, says Les. It s kind of too bad because I really love kids- especially little babies. I think they re the cutes thing in the world. But my brother and my niece had lots of kids, so I got to enjoy the. Les worked hard all those years. The job required long hours. The bakery continued its operations on holidays- even Christmas. Most of the time he had to work on Sundays, so he couldn t go to church often. They were members of a little Methodist church in Glendale for awhile, and then moved to a Lutheran church that was about half-block from home. Some of their close friends attended there. Why don t you take a day off; Dad? Ruth would ask. Now I wish I had taken more time off to be with my family, Les say quietly. But he felt strong loyalty to his company. As part of management, I had to cross picket lines when workers went on strike, he remembers. We had to keep the markets supplied. It wasn t pleasant. The picketers called us names, knocked out our headlights, and took the air out of our tires. But doing what was necessary for the company was important to me. Marie passed away in 1979 after a battle with colon cancer. She had always been happy and laughed a lot. But cancer was hard on her. Les was a production manger at Van de Kamp s supervising about 150 employees, when he retired. He decided to follow his brother-in-law s recommendation and moved to Yucaipa. (He had purchased a mobile home and subscribed to the News-Mirror for the year prior to retirement, checking carefully to see if the community was all that his brother said it was.) He started attending UMCOY in 1987. Dr. Boss was the pastor. The congregation was about the same size as it is now, but there weren t as many young people as we have now. During his time at our church, Les has served on the Senior Pastor Relations Committee, the Evangelism Committee, the Memorials Committee, and has been an usher during worship. I love our church and its people, he says. I like the blended service the way it is now. I love the praise music, and I get goosebumps when the minister raises her hands during the songs. I feel like doing that myself, but no one else around me will do it. So I follow suit in order avoid standing our. Les enjoys his Sunday school class. I like to learn more about God, and I enjoy socializing with those who believe in God. We go out for lunch together once a month, after Sunday school. I asked him if he sat with the United Methodist Men s group during fellowship between services. No, I don t go in there, he explained, because I have to be very careful about my fluid intake, and I know that I wouldn t be able to resist having a cup of coffee. About ten years ago, Les was diagnosed as having kidney problems. The doctor watched him carefully. Les became anemic, and had to have a shot every week. The nurses became like my family. When I see them at Kaiser they still give me bit hugs. Kaiser provided classes about dialysis long before it became necessary, so Les was well prepared. They have everything set up for me. The receptionist even came out of visit me! His dialysis in now done right here in Yucaipa. Each treatment takes about three hours, and he is currently having two treatments per week. He used the time to read, watch television, or to just watch what s going on. He likes to visit with people. One wonderful African- American lady who comes with another patient always stops by my chair and holds my hand for a few minutes. Les has a very positive attitude about the dialysis. I was swollen with fluid before the treatments started, he explains. It is a great relief that all of that swelling is gone! If his doctor will allow, he would eventually like to volunteer at the hospital to reassure those who are about to begin dialysis. He s glad to talk about it; It s not uncomfortable or painful. I had bad leg cramps a few times, but that s bout it. At the close of our interview, I asked Les to share with me his favorite scriptures. Well, my favorite is the Ten Commandments, he responded. But I also like Matthew 7:12 where it says Do unto your neighbor as you would have him do unto you. As I began gathering up my notes, he silently handed me the June, 1956 issue of Van De Kamp s newsletter the Windmill and pointed to the back cover. It says there: You re not forgetting, are you, that your Church or synagogue is the friendliest Place in town? A warm- hearted welcome Awaits you there. New interests, new Friends, and most precious of all in these Trying times, an opportunity to renew your faith, to restore your courage, to find peace of soul in the company of men and women of good will. He restoreth your soul. Worship together this week. Not a bad message, even in these trying times