US Navy veteran
WAKEFIELD — Robert L. Hayden, age 89, of Wakefield, passed away on Sunday, January 21 at Prescott House in North Andover.
He was born in Stoneham on April 21, 1934 and was the son of the late Laurence and Ruth (Ames) Hayden.
Bob lived in beautiful Wakefield for most of his life and graduated from Wakefield High School in 1952. Next, he graduated from Tufts University in 1956 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering then served his country from 1956-1958 in the U.S. Navy. He spent most of his time at U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot in Hawthorne, NV and left the Navy as a LTJG.
Most of his career was spent as a Senior Engineer for AT&T (formerly Western Electric) in North Andover and he retired after 29 years. Notably, he was one of the early engineers involved with the groundbreaking quartz crystal technology and an inventor (patented) of an automated high speed wiring tool.
Bob had many hobbies, but his biggest passion was photography which started at an early age and lasted his lifetime. He was photographer for the Lookout newspaper, the Oracle yearbook at Wakefield High School, The Jumbo yearbook and The Naval ROTC at Tufts University. He later built his own darkroom at home to process his incredible photos.
Bob also loved to travel. He planned yearly family vacations that visited most US states and Canadian Provinces. In total, visiting over 100 National Parks and Monuments. He was an avid supporter of the Mass Audubon Society and many outings included fishing and birdwatching which he loved to share with his family.
Bob had many talents and being a musician was one of them. His taste in music was eclectic but his favorite was New Orleans style Jazz. He played the piano, organ and accordion and was known to play frequently for his Navy pals at the Officers Club. After that, for many years, he played with a small band of workmates from AT&T.
Bob was blessed with a green thumb. Every spring he grew large gardens with spectacular roses and other beautiful flowers.
He was always an engineer at heart. He loved all things electronic and could be found at his workbench building radios, TVs and other household electronic devices. He even built an automated backyard greenhouse for his amazing flowers.
But mostly, Bob loved to share his wonder of the world with his family.
Bob is survived by his daughter, Linda Miceli and her husband, Eric and his son, Thomas and his wife, Patricia.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Sunday, April 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. A private graveside service will take place at Forest Glade Cemetery in Wakefield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Bob’s name to the Mass Audubon Society at massaudubon.org. For guestbook and directions, visit mcdonaldfs.com.
