John Edmund Hayes

John Edmund Hayes, 79, of Hancock, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2024, at Summerhill Assisted Living in Peterborough.  He was born in Virginia Beach, VA, on April 3, 1944, the son of John and Georgene (McCarthy) Hayes.

John was raised in the Bronx, NY, NY.  Eventually his family moved to Hillsdale, NJ.  He attended Pascack Valley High School and graduated in 1962.  An interest in art illustration led him to Fairleigh Dickinson University in NJ where he received his B.A.

At the beginning of his working career, he realized that publishing was a path he wanted to pursue.  After moving to NH in 1972, he worked for Rumford Press in Concord, gaining further experience in the printing/publishing field.  He was eventually hired by the publisher of the breakout computer magazine, Byte, in Peterborough.  He quickly assumed the role of Associate Publisher and helped to elevate Byte as the premier computer magazine of the 1970s and ‘80s.

After Byte, he became a consultant to the publishing industry, but eventually returned to work as a full-time publisher for Helmers Publishing in Peterborough.  After a while, he decided it was time to venture into a totally new field and obtained his real estate license, and for the next 8 years worked as a realtor for LandVest.

John had many passions.  He loved history; particularly all things associated with the Civil War; and anything pertaining to the history of the early inhabitants of Hancock.  He is fondly remembered for his informative and highly entertaining tours of Pine Ridge Cemetery in Hancock.

But anyone who knew John well realized that hockey was his number one passion.  He played semi-pro with the New Jersey NorthStars in the early 70s, and was a hardcore Boston Bruins fan, despite his New York beginnings.  His proudest accomplishment, though, was coaching the Conval mens’ ice hockey team to a state championship during the 1987-88 season.

He had a tremendous love for the town of Hancock and its people.  He ran for selectman in 2003, served proudly for two terms, and was involved with several committees, including Planning Board, Historic District Commission, and the Fireworks Committee.

John is survived by his wife, Deborah, of Hancock; his children, Jennifer Whitlow and her husband, Richard Whitlow, of West Haven, CT; Kristin Claire, and her husband, Richard Patenaude, of Henniker, NH; his brother Raymond Hayes and his wife Barbara, of Deep River CT; 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John’s name to: The Lewy Body Dementia Association (www.lbda.org); or to the Harris Center of Hancock.

A Celebration of John’s life will be held at the Harris Center in Hancock on Saturday, May 25, from 2 to 4.