William Lowell Hayes of Irmo, age 84, died September 14th. Lowell is survived by his wife of 56 years, Martha Hardy Hayes, his two sons Mark and Paul Hayes, grandsons Benjamin, Samuel, Connor, Patrick, and Everett Hayes and granddaughter Kalliope Hayes Gonos. The son of William Lawrence Hayes and Ethel Hope Griggs Hayes of Latta, Lowell was predeceased by his parents, his sister Annie Chaworth “Chaty” Hayes O’Neal, and her husband Tommy.
Lowell graduated from Clemson University in industrial engineering. His many business ventures included owning a furniture store, pawn shop, and recycling center; servicing radios, burglar alarms, lawn mowers, and cars; and renting out houses.
Visitors will recall the many treasures and oddities on Lowell’s estate, including a steam engine, industrial chemistry set, and double basement. He installed a pipe organ for Martha in the living room of the passive solar house he designed and built himself in the 1970s, where he resided for over forty years.
Lowell never wore jeans, always wore black leather army shoes, and smelled of dusty paper and oil. He believed that there was always a simpler and less conventional way to do anything, which worked to his benefit most of the time. He trusted all people and distrusted all organizations; spoke to anyone; and worked with dangerous things without ever coming to harm.
A faithful member and deacon of First Baptist Church of Columbia, Lowell will be buried at Catfish Creek Baptist Church in Latta where he was raised. A family graveside service on September 19 will be directed by Cooper Funeral Home.