PVT Woods Elbert Hayes (WWII)

PVT Woods Elbert Hayes (Mannington)

August 6, 1911 - October 1, 1944

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Early Years and Marriage:

PVT Woods Elbert Hayes (Service #35761762) was born in Mannington, WV on August 6, 1911, the son of  Henry and Nancy (Gump) Hayes. Henry was a farmer (1900, 1920 Census) and their family lived in the Broom Field area of Marion County, near Rachel (Lincoln District, 1920 Census). By 1930 their family, including 17-year-old Woods, was living on Dickson Street in Mannington. Henry (58) was no longer a former, with Nancy (54) instead doing "general housework" for a local family.

On May 12, 1932, 20-year-old Woods Elbert Hayes married 22-year-old Opal Marie Staggers in Fairmont, WV. Their wedding was officiated by Rev A.H. Elsey, the first pastor of what is now the Fairmont First Church of the Nazarene (at the time housed in the old Dunbar School). Woods and Opal had two children: Marjorie (1936) and Elaine (1941).

Military Service:

PVT Woods Elbert Hayes entered the draft on October 16, 1940 in Mannington. At the time, he and his family were living on Sycamore Addition in Mannington, while Woods worked for the Industrial Collieries Corporation in Barrackville, Coal Mine #41. He was 5'10" and 145 lbs, with blue eyes, brown hair, and light skin.

Woods enlisted on September 30, 1943 in Clarksburg, WV. It listed him as separated and living in Ohio.

Woods was a member of the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd Division worked their way through Italy, before landing in Southern France in August of 1944. 

On October 1, 1944, PVT Woods Elbert Hayes was killed in action in France when he was struck by a bullet to the inguinal region of his body. Based on pictures and maps, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division was likely near St. Ames, France, when Woods was killed (Third Infantry Division in World War II, Volume One).

PVT Woods Elbert Hayes is buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in France.

Survivors:

PVT Woods Elbert Hayes was survived by his wife, Opal Marie Hayes, and their two daughters: Marjorie Esther Hayes Gaulin (1936-2016) and Doris Elaine "Angel" Hayes Tanner (1941-2019). Opal never remarried, choosing instead to write and paint for the rest of her days. She died January 12, 1997 at age 86, at the Port St. Lucie Nursing and Restorative Care Center. Opal is buried side by side with her daughter Marjorie, in Tennessee.

Woods was also survived by his father, Henry, and five of his six siblings: three brothers and two sisters. His younger brother, Chester, also served during WWII.

He was preceded in death by his older brother, Charles, and his mother, Nancy, who died of cancer on May 8, 1938, at age 61.

Legacy:

Woods, who received a purple heart for his service, is honored on the "Marion County Veterans Killed in Action" Memorial at Veterans Square in Fairmont, WV, and at the  West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV. 

Note: Since he was living in Ohio when he enlisted in the Army, his gravestone lists Ohio as his home state.

Sources and More Information:



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