Doris Joan (Larsen) Hayes

ST. JOHNS, Fla. – Doris Joan (Larsen) Hayes, 91, died on Dec. 5, 2020 from natural causes. Born on Valentine’s Day in 1929 in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was the second-born child of Wilhelm and Anna (Martin) Larsen.

After her childhood in the Scandinavian neighborhood of Bay Ridge, she attended secondary school at Hampden DuBose Academy in Zellwood, Fla., before entering Houghton College.

Upon the death of her mother, Doris left her college studies for employment, initially in Minneapolis before returning to her Brooklyn home. At Houghton, she met her future husband, Calvin T. Hayes, and they were wed on June 17, 1951.

Upon completion of Cal’s seminary studies, they moved to Maine, where over the years they served American Baptist churches in the Houlton area, United Baptist Church in Milo, and Central Square Baptist Church in Portland. Cal also served as an area minister for the American Baptist Churches of Maine.

Doris completed her bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of Maine and had a career in education, teaching at Plummer-Motz Elementary in the Falmouth School District. They retired to South Portland in 1990, before moving to Florida, where they remained active in churches, their retirement community, and participating in tours around the globe.

Doris was predeceased by her beloved husband, Calvin; and their son, Timothy.

She is survived by three sons and their families, Stephen and Brandi (Mason and Sarianna) of Readfield; Paul and Wendy (Emily, Rebekah, Jenny, and Brenna) of Noank, Conn.; and Peter and Carol (Nina, Irina, Vera, and Alex) of St. Johns, Fla.; along with great-grandchildren; and many other friends and relatives.

A summer 2021 service will be planned in Speculator, N.Y., where she will be interred in the family plot in the village cemetery.

A more complete obituary is available at http://www.adignifiedalternative.net.

Donations in Doris’s memory made be sent to Westminster Woods at Julington Creek in St. Johns, Fla., Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., or Camp of the Woods in Speculator, N.Y.


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