There will be a celebration of life for Harvey Hayden, late of Sharon, Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. at the Sharon Congregational Church. A reception will follow in the church hall.
Dr. Hayden was an icon in Northwest Connecticut, having served farmers and pet lovers as their trusted veterinarian for more than 60 years. He died May 10, surrounded by family.
He was born Dec. 16, 1932, in Windsor, Conn., to Frances Harvey and Haskell Hayden. His genealogy traced his grandparents back 10 or more generations to the family’s arrival in Massachusetts in 1630, and their prior lineage in England. He was a descendant of William Hayden of the Pequot War and founder of Hayden Station, Conn., who was, in turn, a descendant of the order of the knights who settled Heydon in Norfolk, also known as Stinton, England.
A graduate of Suffield High, he attended three years at the School of Agriculture, University of Connecticut. He then attended and graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
After graduation, he entered the U.S. Air Force at a rank of second lieutenant and was discharged two years later as a captain.
After marrying Myrtle Maddox, the couple moved to Sharon where he opened the Sharon Veterinary Clinic and actively cared for any and all pets (especially cows), at all hours, for 62 years. He never turned away an animal in need.
He was a member of the Sharon Fire Department and served as the department’s lieutenant for many years; was a member of Taghhannuck Grange No. 100; a member of Sharon Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commission; and an active member of the Sharon Congregational Church.
His first wife, Myrtle Maddox Hayden, predeceased him on May 21, 2013, and his younger sister, Alice G. Hayden, on Sept 16, 2023.
On February 25, 2017, Dr. Hayden married Kathryn Heacox. He is survived by his wife; stepchildren Edward Heacox, Jr. (Lynn), Karen Heacox (Arthur), Mary Heacox Ryan (Peter); Joseph (Marjorie); David; Christopher (Josie); step-grandchildren Benjamin Heacox, Ryan Heacox (Mary), Tyler Heacox, and Kathryn Heacox; step-great-grandson Thomas Heacox; nephews Richard, Daniel (Sue), Robert Carter; and the Maddox family.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sharon Fire Department or Sharon Ambulance, both P.O. Box 357, Sharon, CT 06069.
