Hays was a man of devoted faith and held a deep love for God and his family. He was a true American patriot and fervently loved his country and his community with steady conviction. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a true friend. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife, Anna Cowart Arnold of Thomaston; his four children, Dr. Hays (Kristen) Arnold, III of San Antonio, TX; Jennifer (Brett) Walton of Rockwall, TX; Karen (Joey) Lisicia of Fayetteville; and Kristi (Greg) Smith of Atlanta; and 11 grandchildren: Camp, Canon, Briggs, Cole, Alex, Lizzie, Sophia, Shane, Sam, Ben, and Anna.
Born October 2, 1938, in Thomaston to Hays Arnold, Sr. and Mary Weaver Arnold, Hays attended R.E. Lee Institute and graduated from Florida Southern College where he was a founding chapter member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He served in the Coast Guard Reserve receiving an honorable discharge in 1968. The years that followed involved establishing a successful career as a realtor, builder and developer, and business owner. His local investments changed the face of his community in many ways including bringing major franchises that have continued to thrive.
Hays began serving in Thomaston city politics as Mayor Pro Tempore in 1999 and in 2003 was elected Mayor, serving three consecutive terms through 2015. He was elected to office an impressive five times. During Hays’s historically successful tenure as mayor, he made a major impact on local politics. At the helm, Hays showed thoughtful integrity and genuine concern in his tireless pursuit to better his community. He relentlessly lobbied for Thomaston all over the state. His greatest political legacy, the 40-acre Greatest Generation Memorial Park, stands as a testament of his love for Thomaston. Some other significant accomplishments as mayor include: a record 12 years with no city property tax increase, a reduction in local government in size and cost, a balanced city budget every year in office, a more than doubled city capital assets and acquisition of over $8 million in federal grants, an increased acre in downtown parking, an enlarged city water supply - developing the city reservoir to an impressive one-half billion gallons of water, paving over one-third of the city’s streets, replacing over 8.2 miles of city sewer lines, creating and/or refurbishing over half of the city’s sidewalks, replacing over thirty-five percent of water lines, and performing major capital upgrades to city parks.
Hays also served on numerous local boards including president of the Thomaston Board of Realtors, president of the Thomaston-Upson Chamber of Commerce, and an ex-officio Board of Directors member. He was a Southern Crescent Foundation Board member, a West Central Georgia Work Force Investment board member, Chairman of the T-U Transportation Committee, a member of the T-U Industrial Development Authority, Chairman of the T-U Office Building Authority, a member of the Upson County Board of Health, a member of Kiwanis, a Mason, and a Shriner. In 2018, Hays was honored with the Boy Scouts of America Golden Eagle Award for his exemplary leadership in politics, civics, and business, and loyalty to his scouting council.
Hays’s public service went well beyond the city borders in representing Thomaston, including being a voting delegate of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, the Chairman of the Board for the Three Rivers Regional Commission, Chief Local Elected Official for the ten-county Workforce Investment Board, a regional T-SPLOST Executive Committee member, the past district president and member of the Georgia Municipal Association Board of Directors, as well as serving on the Legislative Policy Council, the GMA Transportation Committee, and the Environment & Natural Resources Committee. He was notably an appointee of Gov. Sonny Perdue as a member of the Georgia 2010 Complete County Census Committee and an appointee of Gov. Perdue to the Upper Flint Regional Water Planning Council and was reappointed twice by Gov. Nathan Deal.
Upon Hays’s retirement from politics, the Georgia House of Representatives established House Resolution 791 recognizing Hays’s contributions, summarizing, “BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend Hays Arnold for his commitment to improving the quality of life in the Thomaston-Upson County Community.” He was praised for spending his “entire personal and professional life supporting the Thomaston-Upson County Community” and for demonstrating his “love for his community by working in all areas of his life to improve the quality of life in the Thomaston-Upson County Community”.
It has been said of Hays that he always “did things for the right reasons”. He passionately conducted his professional and political interactions as such but more importantly he did so also in his personal relationships, which he valued most dearly. His heart always guided his actions.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Gathering, 456 Hannah’s Mill Road, Thomaston, GA 30286, or to Thomaston Hospice Foundation, 512 S. Center Street, Thomaston, GA 30286. Fletcher-Day Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements. Condolences and remembrances may be expressed at www.fletcherdayfuneralhome.com.
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