Rickey Leroy Hayes

Rickey Hayes could play almost any song by ear on the piano. He was known for adding his own flourishes — and sometimes a faster tempo if he was in a particularly good mood. While he often turned down requests to play at weddings, he always made time to play and offer comfort at funerals, including at his own.

Rickey died peacefully on May 3. He was 73.

During those 73 years, he never met a pair of speakers he didn’t like, an old car he couldn’t fix, a garage sale he didn’t stop at, or a baby he couldn’t rock to sleep. If Rick was awake, he was drinking Mountain Dew. It fueled him in his search for antiques, Coca-Cola items, and records. In fact, he owned more than 2,000 long-play albums and, somehow, never bought a duplicate.

His favorite holiday was the Fourth of July. Every year, he took the grandkids to a warehouse to pick out enough fireworks for the entire neighborhood. While grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, he would take breaks to startle people with Black Cats and Pop-Its.

He loved to joke and tease and always had a funny comeback. That backfired on him several years ago when he tried to tell his mother-in-law that she was about to back into a rototiller. She didn’t take him seriously and wound up with a dent in her car.

Of course, Rickey would never have a dent in his own car. He was a perfectionist. Every tool had its spot. Every Christmas light pointed the right way. And, since his truck wouldn’t quite fit in the garage, every time there was a threat of hail, Rickey took his truck and parked it under the roof of a nearby car wash. He would also text every family member to make sure they were watching the weather, too.

If you ever rode in his truck, you’d certainly hear Gospel music playing, and often it would be something from The Cathedral Quartet or J. D. Sumner and the Stamps. Rickey, himself, was in two quartets over the years.

He spent a lifetime using music and kindness to bring joy to others, including donating a piano to his church just a couple of months ago. In true Rickey fashion, he found the piano at an estate sale and got a great deal on it.

He will be missed by many friends and loved ones, especially by Kathy, his wife of 47 years, and their children and grandchildren. He loved them all even more than music, and even more than watching American Pickers and The Voice. He was the kind of dad and Papa who took you to car shows, sang with you at church, and showed up to orchestra concerts, basketball games, and gymnastics classes.

And he was the kind of man who reminded everyone:
I’m trusting to the unseen hand
That guides me thru this weary land
And some sweet day, I’ll reach that strand
Still guided by the unseen hand

Rickey was preceded in death by his parents, The Rev. Troy and Betty Hayes. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; his daughter and son-in-law, Melissa and John Laidley, and their children, James and Anna; his son, Travis Hayes, and his daughter, Alicea. He is also survived by his brother, Randy (Beth) Hayes; sisters- and brothers-in-law; and nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at Brown’s Funeral Service in Coweta, Oklahoma. Funeral services celebrating Rickey’s life will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Brown’s Funeral Service Chapel in Coweta, Oklahoma. He will be laid to rest at Park Grove Cemetery in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Family and friends are invited to share memories and condolences online at www.brownfamilycares.com. Rickey’s family has entrusted his care and services to Brown’s Funeral & Cremation Service, 210 S. Broadway, Coweta, Oklahoma 74429, 918-486-5515.