Saturday, September 1, 2018
Howard Hayes, a loyal Toronto Sun Day One-er, has died at 96.
A career newspaper staffer, Hayes was a husband, father, grandfather and veteran who got his start at 16 as an office boy at the Toronto Telegram.
When the Toronto Sun rose from the ashes of the Tely in 1971, he took a position as the Business Office Manager.
Hayes was one of the loyal 62 employees that got this newspaper started.
Hayes was born in Toronto, one of five kids in the family, and grew up on Carlaw Ave. He lived in the city his whole life.
The war broke out not long after he began working at the Telegram and at 19 Hayes joined the Air Force, returning to civilian life and the Telegram in 1945.
At the Telegram, Hayes met the love of his life, a young woman named Effie Clarry who worked in the Circulation Department. They were married in 1949 and began a wonderful marriage and true partnership that lasted just shy of 70 years — bringing them three daughters, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Hayes seems to have embodied the very best of what Tom Brokaw dubbed “The Greatest Generation.”
Like others whose character was forged by the Depression and the war, Hayes was resourceful and hard-working, loyal to a fault and devoted to his family. He was an immensely capable man and fully engaged in life.
Loyalty played a large part in working life for all the Day One-ers at the Sun. Howard and Effie made lifelong friends at the Tely and the Sun, and there wasn’t much separation between their personal and professional lives — workmates were often at the house for barbecues and parties.
Hayes retired in 1987, but the Sun retained a special place in his heart. Generous with his own time and money, he always appreciated the open-handed culture at the little paper that grew, and the way in which the founders of the Sun ensured their staff was treated like family.
In its early days, the Toronto Sun was a bit of a circus — a ragtag collection of visionaries, wiseguys and scribes. Behind the scenes, Hayes held the business office together so the creatives could do their thing.
On the day an escape artist named the Amazing Randi decided to show the city editor how he could escape from a safe while handcuffed — a perfect Sun story! — Hayes came by to watch with everyone else.
When the stunt almost turned deadly, and the Amazing Randi proved to be not so amazing at getting out of the locked safe, it was Hayes who had the combination and saved the day.
There had been 10 minutes worth of oxygen in the safe. With but 25 seconds left, Hayes got the lock to open. Just another day on the job.
Howard Hayes, a Day Oner with the Toronto Sun, poses with his commemorative front page upon his retirement.
Former Editor John Downing said, “I remember Howard with pleasure as a gentle man and a gentleman. He was one of the loyal soldiers every company needs to survive, and in the Sun’s case, to prosper.”
Former colleagues describe Hayes as a great boss and a great friend, and a man who earned their respect. As Billing Manager Steve Drury put it, “He was, quite simply, a good man. The world needs more like him.”
In the early days of the Sun, Trudy Eagan (the Sun Chain’s Executive Vice President, CAO and Member, Board of Directors) said Hayes’ wife and daughters often worked in the office with him on the weekend — the kids opening mail and filing papers to help their dad.
“I remember Howard with great fondness and think of him as an integral part of the engine that kept the Sun smoothly rolling along,” said Eagan. “In an often loud, boisterous environment both within the Sun from staff and without from advertisers demanding immediate attention, Howard remained calm, cool and collected, pristine white shirt and tie perfectly knotted.”
“He always gave me the feeling that all was under control,” she said.
Visitation will be held Sept. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., at the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home, located at 166 Main St. N. in Markham.
A church service will be held at 11 a.m. on Sept. 5 at Locust Hill United Church, located at 7668 Hwy. 7 E.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Sunnybrook Veterans’ Comfort Fund would be appreciated. Details at dixongarland.com
lbraun@postmedia.com
