Christopher “Kit” Hayden, 78, of Newcastle, died at his home on March 14 following a prolonged fight with cancer.
Kit was born in New York City, N.Y., Dec. 8, 1938, and attended Noble and Greenough School (’56) in Dedham, Mass. where he was active in sports and theatre. He earned an AB in Engineering Physics from Harvard (’60), and then enlisted in the Army where he studied Hungarian at the language school and was subsequently posted to Bavaria as a cryptographer.
Following his military service, he earned MS and PhD (’68) degrees in Meteorology from the University of Michigan. While in Ann Arbor, he married Judith Flowers, with whom he raised three children. Prior to moving to Newcastle in 1996, Kit lived in Oxen Hill, Md. and Madison, Wis. where he worked as a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designing satellite instrumentation and software for weather forecast modeling.
As a child, Kit spent his summers in South Bristol. In retirement, he traveled extensively and greatly enjoyed experiencing life by any mode of transportation without a motor – be it bicycle, sailboat, canoe, or foot.
Many in Lincoln County were drawn to his sardonic wit and intellect as co-host of Wuzzup, a local news and human interest show on LCTV. He also offered his off-beat and often contrarian commentary as a regular contributor to the Lincoln County Weekly, and later as a blogger on Village Soup under the byline Loose Canon. An actor from youth, his first Shakespearean performance was personally commended by his headmaster, a story that never failed to bring tears to his eyes. He was a regular on many stages in Lincoln County, playing roles as diverse as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady to Harold in The Full Monty. He was also a longtime member and board member of St. Cecilia Chamber Choir, as well as a board member of the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District. Kit was a scientist, observer, and intellectual, yet he was also a philosopher, poet, and spiritual-seeker, who drew inspiration from the fictional – Holden Caulfield, Atticus Finch, and Willy Lowman – and the real – Stephen Batchelor, Thomas Merton, T.S. Elliot, and the Buddha.
Over the course of his illness, Kit was surrounded by his devoted family: his sons, Warren of Madison, Wis., and Ian and daughter-in-law Nicole from Cary, N.C.; grandchildren, Chandler and Fletcher; daughter, Alison and fiance Tim Dougherty from Kinnelon, N.J.; sisters, Lorna Power of New York City, and Clare White and brother-in-law Steve from Holden, Mass.
Kit was also greatly supported by his many friends in the community, as well as his dedicated caregivers, all of whom contributed immeasurably to his peaceful passing.
At Kit’s request, there will be no formal memorial service; however, were there to be one, excerpts from T.S. Elliot’s Four Quartets would be read.
If you wish to pass along a message to Kit’s family, you are welcome to do so at www.StrongHancock.com.
