Charlotte Wilbar (Ellen) Hayes, 87, passed away on August 5, 2026, near her home in Lompoc, California. She was born on June 3, 1939, to Dr. Charles and Mildred (Robinson) Wilbar in Honolulu, Hawaii. Born and raised in Oahu, she was the 2nd of 3 children. She was less than 2 years old during Pearl Harbor’s attack, yet gave vivid account of her parents covering doors and windows as blackout. Growing up she practically had the entire Waikiki beach to herself, with only 2 hotels in existence at the time; she was charmed to be taught to swim in the ocean by an Olympic swimmer. She attended Punahou school in Honolulu, and in 9th grade underwent a move to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, graduating in the class of ‘57. The Hawaii native was disheartened to no longer be driving around the island in her father’s open-air jeep and faced a new requirement of wearing shoes to school.

She went on to study at Stephens College in Columbia, MO, then transferred to MU (University of Missouri at Columbia). There, she met and married Danny R. Hayes from Kansas on December 22, 1962, in a blizzard- they were married for 1 day shy of 60 years.

After college, Charlotte and her husband relocated to California for further study. While living in the once quaint town of Santa Monica during the 1960s and 1970s, she enjoyed modeling, English riding, and teaching elementary school. She earned a master’s degree in library science from USC in June 1976. Char and Dan moved to Sunnyvale for Dan’s work at General Electric. There, their daughter Susan was born, and within a year the family moved permanently to Lompoc, CA.

For five decades, Charlotte was part of the Lompoc community. She was an elementary school teacher and tutor. Firstly, she was a mom, but she had many hobbies. She went to the Santa Barbara School of Massage and worked as a Masseur at the Walnut Pier Athletic Club. She surprised her teen daughter by going to beauty college in 1990 to be a professional manicurist. She took up painting. She was involved with the AAUW in their Christmas International program and gourmet cooking club and Lompoc Flower Festival fundraiser. She and Dan volunteered at the Solvang outdoor PCPA Theater and worked as election precinct officers. She volunteered at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (ushering, serving on the Outreach Committee and on St. Martha’s Guild). She also enjoyed volunteering in town for Sansum Clinic, Lompoc Hospital, and the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce.

Charlotte was very social. She enjoyed being part of many groups, including bible study, and her Friday restaurant group. She loved visiting with Dan’s siblings for holiday gatherings, having an extended family in the “Lemon clan”, and catching up with big sister Irene and her children. She cherished long term friendship with Don and Mary Faisy from the LA Department of Water and Power. She missed very few Punahou School reunions in Hawaii. She adored her 2 grandchildren. She was a quintessential health nut and had an inexplicably positive demeanor. She seemed to carry the spirit of Aloha throughout her life.

She was predeceased by her parents, Mildred and Charles Wilbar; her husband, Danny Hayes; her brother, Frederick Hanson; her sister-in-law Gwen Feindel; and her in-laws, Sandra and David Lemon. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Lemon; her sister, Irene Appleyard; her sister-in-law, Karen Terhune; her brother-in-law, John Hayes; son-in-law, Kyle Lemon; grandchildren, Sierra and Kelton Lemon; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Kara and George Dierkens and Tricia Corman, who cared for and supported Charlotte over the past couple of years.

A memorial service for Charlotte will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Los Olivos on Friday, November 20th at 11am.