Candler Kilgo Hayes, II, 67 of True, passed away Wednesday Dec. 2 ^nd 2020 at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital following a long, yet unexpected illness.

Born May 12 ^th , 1953 in Little Rock, Arkansas, he was the son of the late Candler Kilgo and Ann Cherup Hayes. Raised in south Florida for most of his life, Candler had an array of hobbies and accomplishments in his life. He was a boxer in his 20s earned the title of Runner up for the State of Florida Golden Gloves Tournament, attended Miami Dade Community College where he obtained an Associate's Degree, and even had a try at medical school in the Dominican Republic. He also obtained his EMT licensure. He met the love of his life, Rennie, in 1982 and they were married and expecting their first child, Traci, by 1985. His second daughter, Callie, came along seven years later in 1992. He enjoyed deep sea fishing, gardening, and loved the outdoors. He had a heart of gold with all animals, always rescuing and bringing new things home to care for. He loved wildlife and feeding the native birds every day. He was always outside working on a project whether it was mowing the lawn, fencing in a field, working on the garage or house, or fixing up a vehicle.

He was a self-made handyman where he was self-employed for years in Florida. Upon moving to West Virginia in 2002, he built a house for his family with no blueprints. He then became employed at Pipestem State Park followed by Bluestone State Park. He was in a terrible accident while on the job in June of 2019, that God so graciously allowed him to recover from. After almost 15 months in hospitals and a skilled nursing facility he finally came back to the home he built. He was home for three months to enjoy his family, his pets, homecooked meals, and his beautiful land.

He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Maureen Moore Hayes; two daughters that he cherished, Traci Hayes of True and Callie Hayes of Princeton; one precious granddaughter, Molli Jo Ember Wills; one brother, William Graham Marcellus "Marc" Hayes of Vero Beach, Fl; two sisters, Betsy Byars and husband Ronny of Homestead, Fl and Cheryl Brown and husband Michael of True; along with several cousins, nieces, and nephews also surviving.

Celebration of life services will be held at 4:00pm Sunday December 6, 2020 at Pivont Funeral Home Chapel in Hinton with Pastor Larry Cox officiating. The family will receive friends from 2:00pm until time of services Sunday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the family to help with expenses.

COVID19 precautions will be strictly adhered to with masks required and social distancing observed.