Hayse Willard Reneau of Greenville, TX died Sunday October 1, in Longview, TX. He was 90 years old.
Hayse was born October 28, 1932 in Howell, AR, to George W. and Lois Weaver Reneau. He was the oldest of six children, the son of a sharecropper who spent his early years learning hard work and responsibility in his hometown of Cotton Plant, AR.
In his early teens, the family relocated to Texas, eventually landing in the Amarillo area where he met Joyce Waunitha Kerwood. Hayse and Joyce were married on December 10, 1949 and settled in Borger, TX. The couple had three children and were married for over seventy years.
Hayse worked a variety of jobs in the young family’s first years, including as a poultry farmer, butcher and truck driver, and a significant stint at Phillips Petroleum. In his early thirties, owing to the encouragement of his wife, Hayse was baptized into Christ and immediately determined he wanted to be a preacher. He was encouraged and supported by other evangelists in his early efforts, particularly Oliver Murray and A.C. Grider, two men he greatly admired.
The family relocated to Gladewater, TX where he began preaching full time in 1966. Hayse and Joyce worked together with churches in Wichita Falls, Pittsburg and Greenville, and finally with the Cash Church of Christ. Hayse was an evangelist for over fifty years, the last thirty-three of which were spent in Cash, where the Reneaus developed strong friendships and bonds with many fellow Christians.
When Hayse wasn’t preaching or teaching, you could find him busy with one of his many hobbies and interests. He loved camping, fishing, golfing, gardening, caring for animals, raccoon hunting, woodworking, electronics repair, and computers. His family knew if something was broken, he could fix it. He was also a prominent political worker and avid ham radio operator. The role he most enjoyed was being the best Paw-Paw his grandkids could ever have.
Hayse was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Gene, Norman and Bill, sister Jane Cobb, his wife Joyce, and one son, Jimmie. Left to cherish his memory are his son Ron Reneau of Big Sandy, daughter Donna Best of Longview, TX, sister Barbara Smith of Deer Park, TX, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.
The family will receive visitors Saturday October 7 at Lynch Funeral Home in Greenville, TX at 10:30. A memorial service will follow at 11:00.
