Mr. Albert Eugene “Gene” “Papa Duck” Hayes, age 61, died at the Westwood Nursing Center in Statesboro.  The Dillon, SC native lived in Statesboro for the past 36 years.
He had served in the U.S. Army Reserves.  Mr. Hayes was employed with Southeast Ag as a sales representative for many years.  He was the owner and operator of the Bargain Box Video and Pawn for many years.
Mr. Hayes was a member of the Merrywood Baptist Church.  He was preceded in death by his parents, J.C. and Margaret Hayes, a brother Jerry Hayes and a granddaughter, Raven Brooke Hayes. Surviving are his wife, Tina Hayes of Stateboro; two sons and daughters in law, Albert and Christina Hayes and Stephen Ashley and Jessica Hayes, all of Portal; seven grandchildren, Dillon, Victoria, Cady, Mark, Johnathan, Austin and Macayla; five sisters Patricia Powers (Jimmy), Bennettsville, SC, Betty Clark (Lavern), Dillon, SC, Rachel Bremer (Jeff), Sumter, SC, Ruby Keels (Ricky) and Margaret Lisa Hayes of Manning, SC and his children’s mother, June Hayes Sowell of Portal.
The family had a memorial service at the Merrywood Baptist Church.