We are sad to share that former OWU staff member Cyrus John Hay passed away March 11 in Delaware. He was 98.
Cyrus (“John” to his campus colleagues) managed the Moore Greenhouse for the OWU Department of Botany for 13 years, retiring in 1994. (After his last day, he offered to come back to campus daily to care for “Zobot,” an orphaned cat that had been a greenhouse fixture for more than five years.)
An entomologist, Cyrus spent 33 years with the U.S. Forest Service as a forest insect researcher before joining Ohio Wesleyan.
He was a member of the Delaware First Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder and usher coordinator, and cared for the church houseplants. He also served on Delaware’s first Shade Tree Commission in 1981.
Cyrus’s survivors include his wife of 73 years, Ruth, and their son, David ’76. Their son, Kenneth ’74, is deceased.
Per Cyrus’s request, there will be no services. To share a memory or to leave condolences, visit www.robinsonfuneralhomeinc.com.
Contributions are suggested to the Delaware First Presbyterian Church, 73 W. Winter Street, Delaware, OH 43015 or to Willow Brook Christian Community, 100 Delaware Crossing W., Delaware, OH 43015.
Please join us in offering our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
–The Office of Human Resources