Earnest Eugene Hayes

Earnest Eugene ""Gene"" Hayes, 61, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

Mr. Hayes was born Aug. 5, 1945, in Fisk. He was of the Baptist faith and a retired sawmill laborer. Mr. Hayes enjoyed spending time with his family, fishing and repairing lawn mowers.

On Sept. 5, 1983, he married Mary Louise Fortenberry, in Poplar Bluff. She survives.

Other survivors include his mother, Gladys E. (Weathers) Cook, of Malden; six children, Landon Hayes, Earon Hayes and Eric Hayes, all of Garden Grove, Calif., Curtis Whitlock, of Tallapoosa, Mo., Meredith Whitlock, of Kenosha, Wisc. and Christa Whitlock, of Poplar Bluff; 15 grandchildren; and three brothers, Tom Hayes and Rick Hayes, both of Poplar Bluff and Billy Hayes, of Springfield.

Visitation will be from 6 - 8 p.m. Thursday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel, in Poplar Bluff. The funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the chapel, with the Rev. Calvin Buhler officiating. Burial will be in the Ash Hill Cemetery, at Ash Hill.