Charles Franklin Hayward

Charles Franklin Hayward, 91, Hutchinson, Kansas, passed away on June 29, 2018. He is survived by wife Betty; children Pamela Gertken, Denise Biberstein, and David Hayward; sister, Edith Friend; six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Born in Dadeville, Missouri, on November 17, 1926, Charles was the son of Homer Hayward and Cliffe Hawkins Hayward. He graduated from Dadeville High School in 1944 and with his father’s consent enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve at the age of 17. There he served as a radio man, flying missions over the Caribbean until the end of World War II. Subsequently, he served for the military police in Chicago. He returned to Missouri to marry Betty Cassada in 1948.

He studied at Southwest Missouri State University and taught vocational agriculture in Bolivar and Higginsville. He then enrolled at the University of Missouri, where he completed his doctorate in agronomy, specializing in wheat and hybrid wheat genetics. He was a widely revered professor at MU and received the university teaching award in 1963. His wheat research contributed to the agricultural productivity boom of the twentieth century.

Charles and his family moved to Hutchinson in 1966, where he worked at W. R. Grace and then Pioneer. He established the Pioneer research station at the naval air base outside Yoder to breed hard red winter wheat and triticale. His work took him and Betty across Europe and the Americas. Later he facilitated the transfer of the research station to Hutchinson Community College. He served on the advisory board of the south campus at HCC.

Charles was versatile and, in his sixties, launched a second career as a realtor after obtaining his real estate and broker licenses. He was a people-person with a wealth of practical wisdom, capable of appraising everything from livestock to residential homes to conservation land.

Yet Charles was proud of his role as a family man. He was a loving and devoted husband to Betty and father to Pam, Denise, and David. He was like a father to their spouses, James Gertken, Greg Biberstein, and Melissa Hayward.

Charles was a dedicated grandfather, highly attuned to the activities and accomplishments of his grandchildren: JT, Matt, Andrew, Peter, Maggie, and Tyler. He came from a long line of educators and bestowed upon his family a reverence for the pursuit of knowledge.

Everyone who has met Charles will remark his wonderful sense of humor. He would, for instance, regularly greet family members with an introductory handshake and a “Nice to meet you.” He occasionally introduced himself as “Schnickelgruber Snagelbucket..” He claimed he had a nickname, but that nobody knew it. (His real nickname was “Buddy.”) His standard response to the question “How are you?” was “Fair to middlin’.” He was a prolific thumb-twiddler – a kindly man with a gentle smile.

Charles was a fount of jokes and wise saws, but those who knew him best would emphasize his integrity, honesty, warmth, and, most of all, humility. He was generous and fair to all people, from all walks of life.

He was a God-fearing man who attended church faithfully his whole life. He taught his children and grandchildren the value of prayer. His favorite hymn was “How Great Thou Art.”

Charles was blessed with a long, happy, and healthy life, yet one marked by the trials and tribulations that are all too familiar to his fellow members of the Greatest Generation.

He was preceded in death by his parents, five siblings, and grandson, Ryan. His great-grandchildren are Philip, Fiona, Iris, and Jasper.

Funeral service was held Tuesday, July 3, 2018, at Elliott Mortuary, Hutchinson, with Pastor Gordon Rhodes officiating. Burial is to be 10:30 a.m.Thursday, July 5, 2018, at the Masonic Cemetery in Dadeville, Missouri.

Memorials may be made to Hospice House or First Baptist Church, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.