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Charles Lee Hayman, 70, of Vista, California passed away on Thursday May 7, 2020 after a three-year battle with cancer. A graveside service will be held for family members at Dearborn Memorial Park in Poway, CA on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 11 am. A memorial service for extended family and friends will hopefully be held in late July if COVID-19 restrictions have eased.
Chuck was born on July 23, 1949 in Riverside, California to Marvin Seymour Hayman and Twila Leavitt Hayman, the second of four children. As a kid, he famously tricked his little sister, Debbie, then aged five, into sitting on a cactus during a family vacation by sitting on one himself. Their mother was not happy. But that was Chuck.
Chuck’s introduction and fascination with electronics and engineering started young. His parents owned and operated Hayman’s Appliances in Riverside, CA where they sold everything from washing machines to refrigerators to big screen TVs and VCRs. During high school, Chuck began helping with appliance deliveries and quickly learned how to install and repair all sorts of machines. He loved to fiddle with any broken thing if his graveyard of old, obsolete machines is any indication. (Anyone need a Beta machine?)
Chuck had tremendous drive and work ethic and began working at age 10 delivering newspapers. He saved all his earnings from his paperboy route and store deliveries in order to purchase his first car, a brand new 1965 Chevy Impala. He bought the car before he even had his driver’s license. Chuck graduated from Riverside Poly High School in 1967.
To avoid being parted from his beloved Chevy, Chuck attended Riverside Community College where he completed an associate’s degree in electronics. He then went to Utah State University in Logan, Utah to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering. While at USU, he met the love of his life, a Siamese cat named Chaucer. He liked Chaucer’s owner enough that he married her just to keep the cat around. Chuck and Teresa Anne Urbanik were married on June 15, 1973 in the Manti, Utah temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Teresa outlasted the cat, but Chuck had gotten used to her by then, so she stuck around and outlasted many other cats and even a few dogs.
Chuck and Teresa began their married life in Los Angeles, CA and lived in various cities throughout Southern California and Arizona before settling in Poway, CA in 1992 where they lived for 24 years. They had four children together: Jason, Cassandra, Barbara, and Elizabeth. Chuck was incredibly supportive of his children and their various endeavors. He always prioritized attending their sports games, piano recitals, and other events. He loved to watch Jason play baseball and soccer, listen to Bobbi play the piano, and tolerated Cassy and Liz, who mostly just laid around and read books. He encouraged their educational pursuits and all four graduated from college and three earned master’s degrees.
He started his own consulting business, Hayman’s Motion Control Products, in addition to working as an engineer for companies like Hughes Aircraft, Sony, and Hewlett Packard. For the last ten years, Chuck has been a Senior Electrical Engineering Manager of Lasers and Advanced Sensors in the Electromagnetic Systems Group at General Atomics. At least, that’s what his business card says. We have no idea what that means or what he did, but he was apparently pretty good at it. He found his job challenging but also hugely rewarding. He especially enjoyed mentoring younger engineers.
In addition to his professional achievements, Chuck was extraordinarily proud of his 45 years of service as a Reserve Officer for the San Diego County Sheriff Department, rising to the rank of Lieutenant. Nearly every weekend, Chuck would don his sheriff’s uniform and volunteer his time in any capacity asked of him. Some of his joy came from intimidating his children and their friends while in his patrol car, but it was mainly because he found immense gratification in serving his community. In 1998, he was recognized as the Deputy of the Year for the Poway Sheriff’s Station. He was an integral member of the task force who responded to both the 2003 Cedar Fire and the 2007 Witch Creek Fire even as the flames threatened his own home and destroyed the homes of dear friends.
Faith played an important role in Chuck’s life. He and Teresa raised and taught their four children the gospel of Jesus Christ, and actively participated as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Chuck served in many positions within the church through the years, from Young Men’s leader to Ward Clerk to High Priest Secretary. In his final years, he enjoyed studying the gospel with his wife and sharing his testimony with his children and grandchildren.
In whatever spare time left to him, Chuck loved to indulge in his favorite hobbies: baseball, cars, and trains. He especially loved baseball and was a lifelong fan of the Dodgers. (He would sometimes root for the Padres, but who needs that kind of constant heartbreak?) He was known to pull his kids out of school to take them to opening day at Dodger Stadium. For his 70th birthday, he took nine of his eleven grandkids to a Dodgers’ game and bought them all matching ball caps and soft serve ice cream in tiny plastic helmets.
Like many men of a certain age, Chuck loved trains. It started with a Lionel train set given to him when he was around six years old. As an adult, he continued to collect Lionel trains and loved traveling around the country on trains, especially old steam engines. In the years prior to his death, Chuck had finally begun plans to construct an entire train room in order to run and operate his extensive collection of trains. He was only able to finish one part of his intended plan, but he loved running the trains when his grandkids came to visit.
Over the last 15 years, Chuck and Teresa had been able to indulge in their love of traveling both together and with friends. They visited such places as the Caribbean, South Korea, China, New Zealand, and Israel in addition to multiple visits to Europe. He loved New Zealand and even fantasized about moving there. (His children would have gladly followed.)
Chuck was not a man without his flaws. He had a quick temper, a perfectionist streak, exacting standards, and pack rat tendencies. We apologize to anyone who had to share the road with him. Believe us, it was worse being trapped in the car with him. Yet despite this, Chuck had a generous spirit. He would drop anything to help his family and friends. He was concerned for not just his own children, but his nieces and nephews as well. He was an incredibly loyal and steadfast friend. He especially doted on his mother and wife. He took care of us all.
We wanted more time than we got with our father, son, husband, uncle, brother. Chuck had dreams and plans for his retirement that he never got to realize. Trips that were never taken. Missions that were never served. Grandchildren that he won’t get to see grow up. And yet, he did not waste the life that he was given. He was a man who left a lasting impression and one who will not be easily forgotten. We’ll remember him every time we drive a little too fast, or hear the whistle of a passing train, or watch the Dodgers lose yet another World Series.
Chuck is preceded in death by his father, Marvin, and brother, Edward. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Teresa; his four children and their spouses: Jason & Elisa Hayman, Cassandra (Cassy) & Brigham Fugal, Barbara (Bobbi) & Jeremy Johnson, and Liz & David Malone; 11 grandkids: James, Anna, Isabel, Grisette, Zara, Seth, Logan, Ian, Adelaide, Benjamin, and Sebastian; his mother, Twila; siblings, Cheryl Boyce (Bill) and Debbie Harrison (Mark); and multiple nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind two beloved cats, Lewis (his loyal support cat until the very end) and Bradbury (frankly, a bit of a punk) and 25 tape measures (and counting).
In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Chuck’s preferred charities: the Humanitarian Aid Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
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