Vernon Russell Hayden

Vernon Russell Hayden, Jr., age 82 of Shawnee, KS passed away on Friday, June 26, 2026. “Russ” was born on January 9th, 1944, to Vernon Hayden, Sr. and Phylis Virginia “Ginny” Hayden. He was a life-long Christian and train enthusiast as well as a fervent learner. He grew up in Warren, Ohio and attended Howland High School where he excelled in music, journalism and science. He participated in the high school band as well as 4-H band and led a swing band called the “Melody Cats”. He earned a partial scholarship to Carnegie Tech where he started his journey to become an engineer. In October 1967, he married his college sweetheart who he met in 4-H band. They had three children together. Living on a small 2- acre farm, he taught his children about gardening, composting and caring for animals. They raised an assortment of farm animals including goats and he served as their 4-H advisor. He was also a baseball and softball coach for his kids. They went to church regularly. He participated in church volleyball and softball teams and several church committees. He began his career at Packard Electric as a janitor but was promoted after proposing two assembly line improvements which were patented by the company. He began attending Youngstown State University where he completed his engineering degree. After completing his degree, he applied for and received a promotion to Powerhouse Engineer at General Motors’ Baltimore Assembly Plant.

On October 7, 1985, he married Elizabeth Carbone in Bel Air, Maryland. They moved to North Point, Maryland, just off Chesapeake Bay. He became a licensed sailboat captain and was deeply involved in community and waterway cleanups. He also continued to excel professionally and was promoted to Chief Powerhouse Engineer of the Baltimore Assembly Plant. He later served as Chief Powerhouse Engineer for the Wilmington Assembly Plant. In 2004, he and Elizabeth moved to Shawnee, Kansas, where he served as Chief Powerhouse Engineer of GM’s Fairfax Assembly Plant until his retirement. Since moving to Shawnee, he and Elizabeth were members of the United Methodist Church, where Russ occasionally played in the bell choir. They most recently attended Grace United Methodist Church. He dedicated much of his time to community service, often volunteering at the food kitchen. He was especially devoted to the Overland Park Arboretum, where he made a meaningful contribution to the building and maintenance of the cherished train garden.

Preceded in death by his parents and daughter-in-law Tammy Hayden.

Russ is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Elizabeth; his children, Porcia Baldwin (husband Stan) of Whiteford, MD, Vaughan Hayden of Salisbury, MD and Vikki Nicholas (husband Troy) of Knoxville, TN; as well as eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Leslie Wilkinson (husband Pat) of Courtland, Ohio; nephew Andrew Wilkinson of Columbus, Ohio and niece Nicole Carbone of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, the American Cancer Society, or the Wounded Warrior Project. Services will be held in Maryland, following cremation.

The family would love for you to leave a memory of Russ or a dad joke in his honor in the comments below. He had a great sense of humor. We cherish the things that he taught us and the experiences we had together.

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