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.
Bobbie Dingler passed away when a truck pulled out in front of her van in the fog. 
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