Obituary of Lawrence Mathew Hayford

Lawrence Hayford, one of the Santa Cruz's oldest residents and the son of an early Capitola family passed away on July 2. He was 100 years old and until his death was the oldest living retired Santa Cruz Fire Department captain. Born in Capitola on May 27, 1912 to Delores and Thomas Hayford, Hayford spent his youth playing along Soquel Creek, hunting and fishing to help feed the family. He loved clamming for Pismo Clams off the beach near Rio Del Mar. He lived from a time when automobiles were a rare site in the Santa Cruz area-Hayford once owned a Ford Model T - to a period when he would vacation internationally by commercial jetliner. That led Hayford to wonder at times about the development of modern technology. He liked to tell his three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren stories of early 20th century Capitola and how the family settled in the Santa Cruz area. His grandmother Rosella Hayford came to California in a covered wagon in the mid-19th century with his grandfather Matthew Hayford. Hayfords's maternal grandparents, Mattilda and Frank Britton owned a saloon near the Soquel Creek train trestle where Hayford recounted he once found hidden slot machines. He was born at a home on what is now Prospect Avenue and he helped raise six younger siblings. In a 2006 newspaper interview Hayford recalled seeing the planting of the region's first commercial begonia crop and swiping apples from the property of real estate developer H. Allen Rispin. Hayford attended Soquel Elementary School and graduated from Santa Cruz High School where he was a member of the football team. In 1934, he married high school sweetheart Jean Allen, who preceded him in death in 1968. They had one daughter Barbara Towner, who also lives in Santa Cruz. Growing up during the Great Depression, a time when his family sometimes had trouble putting food on the table, turned Hayford into a recycler long before the practice came into vogue. He was adept at refinishing old furniture, figuring out how to build tables and other objects out of old doors and refurbishing old tools. Hayford also built the Santa Cruz home he lived in for nearly 60 years and helped build homes for some of his siblings. He had his contracting license and built many homes in the Santa Cruz area and worked at the Hayford Brothers glass company, which was owned by his brothers. His experiences during the Great Depression made Hayford mindful of helping those in need and provided him with a sense of public service. Many of his retirement years were spent as a volunteer at California Grey Bears where he would pick leftover crops on local farms and sort food to deliver to seniors who were unable to drive or who could not afford groceries. He was a member of the Santa Cruz Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge #38, and the Eastern Star. He was a past president of the Santa Cruz Shrine club and a life member of Grey Bears and Mid County Seniors. As a boy he would got to work at the Wood Brothers lumberyard after school. During his teen years, Hayford worked at a variety of odd jobs and along side his father as a member of the volunteer Capitola Fire Department. This experience turned into a long career in fire fighting, including his eventual promotion to a captain in the Santa Cruz Fire Department. In late May, the department helped Hayford celebrate his 100th birthday, bring several fire trucks to the home of Barbara and Gerald Towner, his daughter and son-in-law for inspection and to share a birthday cake. Hayford retired from the department in 1967. He his survived by his daughter Barbara Towner (Gerald). Granddaughters Jennifer Hirsch, Sue Ceccarelli and Diane Trotter. Brothers Lyle Hayford of Capitola, and Malcolm Hayford of Anacortes, Washington. Great grandchildren, Rebecca, Jacob and Shira Hirsch, Joshua, Ryan and Nathan Ceccarelli and Collin and Braden Trotter. He was preceded in death by brothers, Frank, Hugh, Julian, and sister Lorraine Williamson. A memorial service will be held on Thursday July 12, 2012 at Oakwood Memorial Park, 3301 Paul Sweet Rd., Santa Cruz, CA beginning at 2:00 pm. Arrangements are under the direction of Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel. Please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com to light a candle or express your condolences to Lawrence's family. Donations in Hayford's memory can be made to, Grey Bears, 2701 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95065 or to Hospice of Santa Cruz, 940 Disc Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066.