Charles F. Hayes, age 89 of Houston, Texas passed away on Sunday, October 8, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas.

Charles was born, along with his twin sister Lois, in Oklahoma City, OK on January 1, 1934, to Raymond (R.G.) and Esther Hayes.  He grew up in Wellston, OK where he attended Primary and Secondary school while working in the family General Store.

Charles is a 1952 graduate of Wellston High School and in 1955 he became a member of Masonic lodge 369 in Wellston where he eventually became a Master Mason.  He received his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 1958 and participation in the ROTC program there put him at Vance Air Force Base at Enid, OK as a flight instructor after graduation.

Charles married Patrica Welch on May 3, 1959, in Wichita, KS and a year later, they welcomed their son, Robert into the world while stationed at Vance AFB.

Charles returned to OSU to pursue a master’s in mechanical engineering and in 1963, they welcomed their daughter, Barbara into the world.  After graduation he was stationed in Seattle WA, where he worked with the Boeing company as an Air Force representative on the Minuteman program.  He later moved his family to Craig AFB in Selma, AL where he was a flight instructor.  In total, he spent eleven years as a flight instructor in the Air Force.

In 1969, Charles joined NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX as an instructor pilot for the lunar landing training vehicle (LLTV).  Charles was divorced in 1971 and later the same year married Rosemary Wilson.

At the end of the LLTV program, he went to the aircraft program and from there was assigned to develop the shuttle landing program for the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA).  Charles was in charge of the program until his retirement at the end of 2007.

During his time at NASA, Charles received many awards.  Most notably, on December 5, 1992, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame.  During the award ceremony it was noted by Roger Zwieg (Charles’ close friend and NASA Pilot), that Charles had “spent more time training astronauts to fly than any human on earth”.

Charles recently said that his favorite pastime with his father was hunting for quail.  Charles enjoyed fishing and practiced often at his lake house on Sam Rayburn.  He loved hosting an annual New Year’s Eve party, with friends at his home.  He was excited to take Barbara to her first professional baseball game and of course it was the Houston Astros, his favorite team.

Charles is preceded in death by his first wife, Patrica, his second wife Rosemary, his father Raymond, his mother Esther and his sisters Lois Hayes Denton and Marilyn Hayes Caughron.  He is survived by his son Robert Hayes of Aline, OK, daughter Barbara and husband Danny Battles of San Antonio, TX, grandson Kyler and wife Lauren Battles of Dallas, and grandson Karsten Battles of Dallas, Rosemary’s children Hope Wilson Berg of Seattle, WA and Faith Wilson Smoorenburg Jacobs and Jacob Smoorenburg of San Antonio, TX, along with nieces, nephews, cousins and extended NASA family (too many to name).

Charles was a member of St Clare Assisi Catholic Church in Clear Lake City, TX.

Viewing is scheduled for Friday, October 13^th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  The funeral service will be held at 10:30am Saturday, October 14^th at the Crowder Funeral Home, 111 E. Medical Center Blvd, Webster, TX.  The burial service at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery will immediately follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Charles’ memory to the American Heart Association.