When Bill Hayes passed away at age 98 on January 12, 2024, whole volumes were written about his accomplishments — and rightly so; they were many and varied. He trained to be a WWII fighter pilot. He had a No. 1 single on the pop chart. He appeared on Broadway and in movies and, heaven knows, on television; he originated the role of Days of Our Lives’ Doug Williams in 1970 and played the ex-con-turned-family man into 2023.
But what was the father of five really like, when the mics were off and the cameras stopped rolling? At the celebration of his life, Susan Seaforth Hayes, his wife of 50 years and leading lady for even longer, revealed exactly that in spectacularly loving fashion. During her eulogy, she told their nearest and dearest, “The following list is of some of his favorite things besides chocolate.”
Yes, Seaforth Hayes brilliantly managed to find a way to squeeze a laugh or two into an event that was so full of tears. (We have to think that her better half would have adored that. But we digress; on with the list.)
“Italy, grand opera, lyrics, puns of his own composing, family dinners and choir rehearsals and tapdancing and up tunes, new places to visit and old songs to sing, the Dodgers, New York City, serenades and sunshine in the morning, performing, poached eggs, The Count of Monte Cristo and Casablanca… every single Christmas card with photos of his friends and family, colored markers and piles of sheet music and an old safari jacket he wore to every continent… and the morning sports pages and his grandmother’s violin… ”
A trouper throughout, Seaforth Hayes couldn’t help but get choked up there; to be honest, we got a lump in our throat, too. When she continued, it was with “red roses, red lips, red sauces, red wine and an Indian ruby he gave to me” — which she was, in fact, wearing. “He took me to the Taj Mahal, he took me to the pyramids, he took me to the Great Wall of China, and he took me to parade with every kiss.”
From there, Seaforth Hayes listed some of the “songs he composed: ‘Ramshackle Daddy,’ ‘Here Comes the Macy’s Parade,’ ‘I Love to Tap’ and ‘I’ve Got the World By the Tail’ — joyful tunes from a heart pounding with the rhythms of life. His mind and spirit never changed. I promise it never changed till all those happy birthdays took his strength away.
“What gifts he had, my sweetest of sweethearts, my beautiful, ageless troubadour,” she added before quoting Robert Burns. “‘My love is like a red, red rose that’s sweetly sprung in June. My love is like a melody that’s sweetly played in tune.'”
In closing, Seaforth Hayes wondered what would be remembered about her husband. His myriad achievements, certainly. But perhaps even more so, his kindness. “He treated all strangers as potential friends and never returned indifference with a harsh word or a cynical remark,” she said. Why did we love him? “Because he saw us.”
Beyond that, she suggested, “we became in his company as wonderful as we all want to be.”
You can watch the entire service in the video above, as well as listen to one of Hayes’ hits and enjoy highlights of the couple’s legendary run as Doug and Julie. When you’re done, scroll through the below photo gallery to see what Hayes’ Days of Our Lives castmates will miss most about him.
Video: YouTube/First Christian Church of North Hollywood, Hankfan Hankfan, Michael Fairman Channel
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