Michael Hayden, 66, of Paducah, passed away on Monday, October 6, 2025. He was a man of many talents. Here are some notes from his family:
I want you to know a little bit about my son. Mike said he woke up happy every morning. And I believe him. As a young boy, he was always happy and getting into everything he could. He had a collection of snakes when we lived in Barstow, California, and he loved going out into the desert behind our house. This made him very happy. But, me…not so much.
Later, in his teens, he started buying and selling antique “collectibles.” That soon rolled over to buying and selling furniture and other larger pieces of art. He made a lot of good and lasting friends during his years working with antiques.
His next interest became buying, restoring, and reselling older houses. Some of his favorites were a little harder to let go of, so he would rent them out. This was before all of those television shows. One such place was the old 6th Street Gulf Station. Which, by the way, survived the 1937 flood here in Paducah. When he finished working on that one, he received the City Beautification Award for his work, and it was written up in Posh and featured on Channel 6 news. He took great pride in the work he did restoring that building.
Mike was always working on something that required he use his creativity. He liked to draw and was always sketching funny things for all of us. But, what was really impressive was his wood carvings. He carved kitchen utensils, animals, special canes, walking sticks, and so many other things. My favorite piece was of an old man walking a dog. He didn’t accept the term artist, but that is what he was.
Mike wrote up obituaries for some of his friends, and these were always so good. One day he said, “who will write my obituary?” Well, I sure never thought it would be me, his mother.
By Monna Rhea Hayden
The good Lord needed a rest with so much going on in this world. So He thought, “I’ll take Michael Anthony Hayden.” Michael was born on March 17th, 1959. He is a get-the-job-done kind of man. Always the planner. But, it is bittersweet. I didn’t want to give him up. The Lord promised He would do great things for me, and I couldn’t argue with that. Whatever Michael sets out to do, consider it done and I will miss him.
Being an antique dealer was his first love. Yet, when the ice storm came along, Michael made a plan to make money by cutting up the trees that were down everywhere. He was always successful with developing his ideas for business. He loved to remodel houses and sell them. He also created a company hauling gravel. He gave every project 100%.
He loved to draw and carve different things. He was a spectacular artist. He loved the coy pond that he built and I know that his coy fish will miss him. But, not as much as his family. I feel such a great loss. He was my rock. Michael was always there to show me the way.
By Laura Jones
Michael is survived by his special friend Laura Jones, whom he had been united with for over 36 years; his mother, Monna Rhea Hayden; his sister, Teresa Hayden of Paducah; his brother, Christopher (Libby) Hayden of Boise, Idaho; and two nieces, Sarah Hayden of Boise, Idaho and Katie Hayden of Englewood, Colorado. He was preceded in death by his father, William Hayden.
A funeral service will be held at 1 P.M. on Friday, October 10, 2025 at the Milner and Orr Funeral Home of Paducah, Kentucky with Rev. Gary Clark officiating. Visitation will begin at 11 A.M. and continue until the funeral service at 1 P.M.
Share a memory or leave a message for the family at www.milnerandorr.com.
