May 4 2014 Fl. 207 and Bourke Floyd Road

This was a new one for me, Daryl James Hayward-  he was struck and killed  by an off duty Sheriff's Deputy.  

 Friends, family remember Hayward

                                                              Daryl James Hayward

The front lawn of the First Baptist Church of Armstrong in Elkton was crowded with family members, friends and co-workers who gathered to celebrate the life of longtime St. Johns County resident Daryl James Hayward on Friday evening.

Hayward, 44, was killed when he was struck by an off-duty St. Johns County deputy on State Road 207 near the St. Johns County Fairgrounds the night of April 24.

He was tending to his broken down SUV around 10:40 p.m. Easter night when he stepped out into the roadway and was hit head-on by a patrol car, Florida Highway Patrol reports show.

Affectionately known as "Pam," Hayward was a longtime truck driver and worked for the St. Johns County Public Works department for many years. He regularly drove an 18-ton dump truck, cement mixer and semi-trailer, said St. Johns County Public Works Director Joe Stevenson.

"He was a very reliable and dependable fellow to work with, which means a lot to us in this department," Stevenson said. "Plus he always had a pleasant personality. That's as good as it gets."

Hayward was born in Smithtown, N.Y., on Sept. 16, 1966, to his proud parents, Willie James and Evon Hayward. He grew up going to St. Johns County schools and worked as a farm laborer with his father, aunt and uncle before joining the county's road and bridge department in 2002.

He also has a twin brother.

"Every couple of weeks when he came into the office to pick up his paycheck, he would always ask, 'Where's the other one for my brother Daryl?'" Stevenson remembers. "We always thought he was just joking, but I just learned that he actually has a twin brother."

When Hayward wasn't busy driving trucks around town, he was spending time with his large, extended family that lives on Armstrong Street in Elkton.

"We have three houses right next to each other; he always came over and cut everyone's lawns," said his niece, Stacie Bryson. "He always took the time to see his younger nieces and nephews and get them slushies."

Bryson said he also spent a lot of time caring for his parents and taking them to and from Gainesville for regular doctors' appointments.

"He worshipped his parents," said Chuck Cruishank, a fellow county truck driver. "He was very adamant that they were well taken care of."

Most of all, he loved to fish.