Daniel "Dan" L. Hayden, Jr.

Daniel “Dan” L. Hayden, Jr. passed away on January 10, 2025, in Wichita, KS. He was 74 years old at the time of his passing. Dan was born in Fort Scott, KS on August 16, 1950, to Daniel L. Hayden, Sr. and Laura (Carson) Hayden, the eldest of three children. In 1955 the family moved to Conway Springs, KS and then, in 1966, to Wichita, KS where Dan Sr. worked for many years with Cessna Aircraft as a tool and die maker. Dan graduated from Wichita North High School in 1970. Throughout high school Dan, a lifelong lover of guns and recreational shooting, was active in the North High Rifle Club. In 1973 Dan completed training through the recently-instituted EMS program of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Wichita to earn his Emergency Medical Technician and Emergency Mobile Intensive Care Technician certifications. He then moved to Hutchinson, KS to work on the city ambulance service, working first out of the Hutchinson South Hospital (formerly Grace Hospital) and then, beginning in 1975, out of the newly built Hutchinson Hospital (now Hutchinson Regional Medical Center). He continued working there through 1980. Throughout his life he retained an intense pride in and affection for his years working in EMS. Shortly after coming to Hutchinson Dan met Marilyn Jean Carney, a nurse at the Hutchinson North Hospital (formerly St. Elizabeth’s Mercy Hospital). They were married on June 26, 1977, at the Lewis United Methodist Church in Lewis, KS. Dan and Marilyn moved to Wichita in 1980, then to a newly built home in Park City, KS in fall 1982. There they welcomed and raised three daughters - Ashley, Stacey, and Lyndsey. Dan and Marilyn resided in Park City through the time of his death. During that time Dan worked for Pitney Bowes, the Wichita Tool Company, Midwest Single Source, and the Union Rescue Mission. An accumulation of work-related injuries and a cancer diagnosis (which he successfully beat) brought an end to his regular employment in 2007. Throughout his life Dan was a passionate lover of animals of all kinds. There were few things that brought him greater joy than playing and spending time with his pets, which over the years of his and Marilyn’s marriage included his dogs Eric, Christy, BJ, Lady, Dusty, Buddy, and Riley. Dan leaves behind his wife of 47 years, Marilyn; daughters Ashley (Jay) Mullinix of Wichita, KS, Stacey (Zach) Smith of Wichita, KS, and Lyndsey (Clayton) Facklam of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA; sister Viola “Vickie” Stites of Mt. Hope, KS; and grandchildren Jenna, Brianna, and Gavin Mullinix, Corbin, Quinn, and Kaylee Smith, and Max and Jaxson Facklam. Dan is preceded in death by his parents Daniel and Laura Hayden and his brother William Nathanial “Nathan” Hayden. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. February 28, 2025, at Westside Bible Chapel, Wichita, KS. In care of Downing & Lahey West Mortuary.