Jerry L. Hays

March 26, 1950 ~ May 25, 2026 (age 76)

Jerry Lamar Hays lived a life of quiet trailblazing. Born in Forest, Mississippi on March 26, 1950, he spent his earliest years moving between Mississippi and Chicago before his family returned home to the South. From a young age, Jerry anchored his life in faith, accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at New Friendship Baptist Church, where he went on to serve as a youth Sunday school teacher — an early expression of the quiet dedication that would define him. He carried himself with the calm, steady confidence of a man who knew exactly who he was — and used that quiet strength to succeed academically and professionally.

Jerry earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Jackson State University before embarking on a remarkable career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he served as one of the few Black FBI agents in the country — a distinction that spoke not only to his intellect and discipline, but to his courage. His career took him to Washington, D.C. and eventually New York City, where he lived for over 30 years, becoming as much a part of that city as the streets he walked. During those years, his faith remained central — he worshipped at Ever Increasing Faith Ministries under Dr. Frederick K.C. Price and World Changers Ministries at Madison Square Garden under Dr. Creflo Dollar. In his later years, he returned to the South, spending his final 19 years in Jackson, Tennessee — a place he called home until his passing.

Yet for all his professional accomplishments, those who loved Jerry knew him best by simpler pleasures: the smell of motor oil on his hands after an afternoon spent doing what he loved — working on cars, a passion for auto mechanics that never left him — and the quiet ritual of his mornings, a steaming cup of black coffee at his side as he worked his way through three newspapers, a daily habit he kept faithfully for decades. In his younger years, he could often be found on the basketball court, playing the game with the same focus and determination he brought to everything in life. Even as the years passed and the playing gave way to watching, his love of the game never wavered — few things brought him more joy than settling in to watch professional basketball, cheering on his favorites with the same quiet intensity that defined him.

In December 1975, he married the love of his life, Shirley Shivers Hays, and together they built more than half a century of partnership, family, and faith. That marriage — over 50 years strong — was perhaps his proudest achievement of all.

Jerry is survived by his beloved wife, Shirley Shivers Hays; his daughter, Brandy Hays Morrison, and her husband Charles Morrison III; his grandsons, Charles IV, Roderic, and Lance Morrison; his sisters, Linda McCoy (Larry) and Jeweline Lee (Daniel); his brothers, Michael Hays and Ellis Hays (Delois); his sisters-in-law, Gloria Hays, Ruth Hays, Lilion "Hudson" Thomas, and Gladys Poindexter; his brother-in-law, Calvin Hudson Jr. (April); and a cherished host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Wilbert Hays; his mother, Mary Christine Gates; his brothers, Wilbur Charles Hays and Larry Earl Hays, Sr.; his son, Roderic Shivers; his nieces, Robin McCoy and Dana Lee; and his sister-in-law, Alice Smith.

Jerry Lamar Hays made history quietly, loved deeply, and left this world a more dignified place for having passed through it. He was 76 years old.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time at Hillfield Baptist Church in Toone, Tennessee. Family and friends are warmly invited to gather, remember, and celebrate a life well lived. Hillfield Baptist Church is located at 570 Naylor Rd, Toone, TN 38305.