Paul Bennett Hay
June 4, 1923 - October 17, 2007
Obituary
Paul B. HAY June 4, 1923 to Oct. 17, 2007 Paul Hay, of Seattle, was born on his family’s farm near Revillo, South Dakota. His parents, Walter and Emma Hay, were life-long Dakota pioneers. Paul’s life was characterized by strength-of- spirit, appreciation of beauty and innovation, and tenacity. During high school he played on his small-town-team that competed in the state basketball championships. After graduation from high school, he attended South Dakota State University where he was a ROTC candidate. But he was needed to help work the family farm and returned home to help. In 1942 he began dating the love of his life, Thelma, who was a 3rd grade teacher. After WWII and Paul’s hitch in the Navy they married and began a lifetime together. In 1945 Paul completed his Naval Aviation Training but because the war was ending and more pilots were not needed he finished his time in the navy working in the Pearl Harbor, Naval Payroll Office. After the war Paul and Thelma moved to South Dakota State University in Brookings where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Paul and Thelma Hay had five healthy children from 1948 to 1963. They spent their lifetime loving, nurturing, guiding, educating and caring for their family. He enjoyed driving vacations to the East Coast and Midwest and day trips to lakes, mountains and oceans. Paul enjoyed sharing some of the great museums of New York, Chicago and Detroit with his family He liked impressionist paintings and could recite Kipling poetry. Paul and Thelma moved several times while pursuing Paul’s profession as a mechanical engineer. In 1950 they moved to Seattle when Paul began working for Boeing. In 1953, they moved to Detroit where Paul worked for Chrysler helping design their new turbine engine. Paul returned to Boeing as an Aerospace Engineer in 1959 but was laid off when Boeing laid off over half its workforce. From then on times were tougher. Paul had several engineering contract jobs at the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant in Richland, WA and other places. In 1979 he began manufacturing plastic parts for the Navy in the basement of his home. Paul was predeceased in death by his parents, his older brother, Jim Hay of Minnesota and his wife, Thelma. He is survived by his daughters, Marsha and Nola and sons, Thomas, Kevin and Wallace. He has two grandchildren, Heidi and Christopher and one great granddaughter, Katya. All reside in the greater Seattle area. A Memorial Service will be held at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in SeaTac on Wednesday, Oct. 24th at 10:00 a.m. A Burial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent.