Rev. Clarence Hale Hays, 84 HARRINGTON - Rev. Clarence Hale Hays, of Harrington, passed away Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, in Courtland Manor in Dover. He was 84. Clarence was born on Dec. 15, 1925, in Barry, Ill., son of the late Ralph W. and Gertrude Ward Hays. He graduated from Barry High School and attended Southern Illinois Normal School for one semester before being drafted in the United States Army. He served during World War II in the European Theatre and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained before his discharge. After his military obligation was finished, he returned home and attended and graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in general agriculture. Clarence then accepted employment as an inspector with Sunkist which he held for nearly two years, lastly working at the companies Connecticut location. His interest in the ministry began when he and his wife moved to Decatur, Ill., where he worked and also attended Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Ill. After completing courses there, Clarence ministered at several churches in the Marshall, Illinois area. Through information from close friends, Clarence contacted a District Superintendent of the Peninsula Conference of the Methodist Church and in 1959 moved his family to Cecil County, Maryland serving Hopewell Methodist Church in Port Deposit. He continued his education at Temple University in Philadelphia and then attended and graduated from Lancaster Seminary with a degree in Theology. Clarence ministered at several churches in the conference, spending seven years with Calvary United Methodist Church in Milford and retiring in 1991 from Mt. Salem/East Lake United Methodist Churches in Wilmington after which he and his wife, Pat, returned to live in Milford. Rev. Hays was recognized in 2006 for being a 50 year member of the Peninsula General Conference. Clarence earned many titles through the years in addition to Reverend, among them, "Mr. Fix-It", referring to his love of woodworking and "The Puzzle Man", this title given to him for the homemade wooden puzzles and games he created for folks in the waiting room of the Milford Memorial Hospital by families and fellow volunteers who also named him "Volunteer of the Year" after the first year of his nine as a hospital volunteer. Rev. Hays was a member of the Avenue United Methodist Church in Milford. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers and a sister. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Patricia J. Hays; a son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Gretchen Hays of Gaithersburg, Md.; three daughters and sons-in-law, Paula Hays and Ejvind Lynning of Copenhagen, Denmark, Laraine and Harvey Gillespie of Milford, and Sally and Tommy Eliason of Harrington; eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. A memorial service was held Friday, Feb. 12, at the Avenue United Methodist Church, 20 N. Church St, Milford. Interment will be held at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Millsboro at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial contributions to the Avenue United Methodist Church, 20 N. Church St, Milford, DE, 19963. Letters of condolence may be emailed at www.delmarvaobits.com/rogers Arrangements handled by Rogers Funeral Home, Milford.