Beloved member of the House of LeMay loved performing, designing and making costumes, and people
Michael S. Hayes died from natural causes on March 26, 2023. He had lived at Saint Joseph’s Residential Care Home in Burlington, Vt., for the past three years after suffering a heart attack and stroke. Mike was born on April 22, 1956, in Burlington to Forrest “Curly” Hayes and Dorothy Valyou Hayes. The family lived in Essex Junction, Essex Center and South Hero while he was growing up. Some of his favorite childhood activities were Cub Scouts and tap-dancing lessons. Mike became famous among his friends at about age 8, when he was kicked in the chest by a horse. This had no apparent medical effect on him, but, in a prank, a friend persuaded him to inhale deeply from a large jar of strong horseradish, causing him to lose his senses of both smell and taste. From an early age, Mike was drawn to performing. By junior high, he branched out from his love of horror movies and books to organize a band of ghouls to decorate a haunted house and put on a scary experience. Most of the schoolkids attended, and a local newspaper covered the event. This was long before such amusements were in vogue. With friends, he shot horror movies for high school projects that left students and teachers convulsed with laughter. At birthday parties, Mike liked to do impersonations of wacky characters, some from popular culture but others simply made up. In the summer, he enjoyed hanging out with friends at the beach, listening to music. He could be counted on at such gatherings to let loose with a totally ridiculous long-winded story that would leave everyone groaning. Mike could pull off such entertainment because he could do it so effortlessly and because everyone sensed that underneath his irreverent and jovial behavior lay a very kind person. Mike’s more formal study of acting began at Burlington High School under his much-admired drama teacher, Peggy O’Brien. One of the school productions was Oklahoma. Later, at what was then Castleton State College, he became deeply involved in both acting and designing and making costumes. Following graduation, he continued as an instructor, teaching costume design and construction. Mike later worked for SAGA food service at the University of Vermont and for many years at Rags and Riches fabric store in South Burlington. At Rags, his expertise in fabric and sewing and his infectious personality won him many…
Beloved member of the House of LeMay loved performing, designing and making costumes, and people
Michael S. Hayes died from natural causes on March 26, 2023. He had lived at Saint Joseph’s Residential Care Home in Burlington, Vt., for the past three years after suffering a heart attack and stroke. Mike was born on April 22, 1956, in Burlington to Forrest “Curly” Hayes and Dorothy Valyou Hayes. The family lived in Essex Junction, Essex Center and South Hero while he was growing up. Some of his favorite childhood activities were Cub Scouts and tap-dancing lessons. Mike became famous among his friends at about age 8, when he was kicked in the chest by a horse. This had no apparent medical effect on him, but, in a prank, a friend persuaded him to inhale deeply from a large jar of strong horseradish, causing him to lose his senses of both smell and taste. From an early age, Mike was drawn to performing. By junior high, he branched out from his love of horror movies and books to organize a band of ghouls to decorate a haunted house and put on a scary experience. Most of the schoolkids attended, and a local newspaper covered the event. This was long before such amusements were in vogue. With friends, he shot horror movies for high school projects that left students and teachers convulsed with laughter. At birthday parties, Mike liked to do impersonations of wacky characters, some from popular culture but others simply made up. In the summer, he enjoyed hanging out with friends at the beach, listening to music. He could be counted on at such gatherings to let loose with a totally ridiculous long-winded story that would leave everyone groaning. Mike could pull off such entertainment because he could do it so effortlessly and because everyone sensed that underneath his irreverent and jovial behavior lay a very kind person. Mike’s more formal study of acting began at Burlington High School under his much-admired drama teacher, Peggy O’Brien. One of the school productions was Oklahoma. Later, at what was then Castleton State College, he became deeply involved in both acting and designing and making costumes. Following graduation, he continued as an instructor, teaching costume design and construction. Mike later worked for SAGA food service at the University of Vermont and for many years at Rags and Riches fabric store in South Burlington. At Rags, his expertise in fabric and sewing and his infectious personality won him many…