Tim Hayes was the epitome of a free spirit
He died in Englewood, FL, following a long illness.
Tim Hayes, known by many as Purple, died May 12, 2025 in Englewood, FL, following a long illness. He was born on October 26, 1953.
A natural athlete who excelled in swimming, diving, football and wrestling, Tim graduated from Hononegah High School in 1973. After a few years in the foundry at Fairbanks Morse in Beloit, WI , he packed up his truck on a cold Christmas Day and headed to sunnier skies, settling in Englewood, FL. There, he spent many years building sea walls on Florida’s gulf coast, met and married Deborah Garnsey in 1981 and they had a son, Robert.
Purple loved music, wrote poetry and created art and jewelry in a range of mediums. He both made and curated a collection of Native American art, including a statuary of wolves, carved from a 300-year old tree, felled in his neighbor’s yard.
The epitome of a free spirit, Purple was easy to spot in a crowd. A longstanding member of a local Harley Davidson club, he wore his leather vest with pride and shared the story of his life through his full-sleeve, back and chest tattoos. He loved fishing and seafood, his dog, Thunder, games he knew he could win (pool, darts, poker, cribbage and chess) and his longtime companion, Brenda Losey, who passed away in 2016.
