William G. Hayward, Jr.

William G. Hayward, Jr., a retired certified public accountant and dedicated volunteer who shared his expertise and energy with many Bozeman community organizations, died April 11, after a lengthy illness, at his home in Bozeman. He was 90.



Born in Chula Vista, CA, in 1930, Bill’s family relocated to Washington, DC, shortly thereafter when economic hardship forced them to sell the farm where they grew celery and raised chickens. Bill grew up in the Brightwood neighborhood in the Northwest section of the city and attended public schools.



Like so many of his generation, his life was profoundly influenced by both the Great Depression and World War II, events that instilled values of sacrifice, hard work, education, and self-reliance. From the age of 10 he worked selling newspapers, picking tomatoes, farming chickens, and painting houses to earn money. As a teenager in the 1940s, he ran the soda fountain and filled prescriptions at a neighborhood pharmacy.



After graduating from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1948, Bill attended George Washington University until he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1951 to 1955 during the Korean War. Following his service, Bill earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree at Stanford University.



He worked for Price Waterhouse in San Francisco and Sacramento before he was hired in 1967 to start the tax department at the San Francisco accounting firm Hood & Strong. He served as Hood & Strong’s managing partner from 1983 to 1990, when his leadership helped to ensure the company, founded in 1917, remained independent during an era of mergers and acquisitions in the accounting industry. He took great pride in building a diverse team of skilled professionals at the firm.



He provided counsel to individuals and families who owned some of San Francisco’s leading companies, including Lane Publishing and Levi Strauss & Co. He enjoyed more than 50 years in service to clients large and small as a certified public accountant.



He taught accounting at Stanford's business school and at Golden Gate University, where he served on the Board of Trustees for 13 years. He was a member of the Olympic Club and the World Trade Club. He was a long-time resident of Lafayette, CA, and lived in San Francisco until moving to Bozeman in 1994.



He was the son of the late William G. and Ruth (Marshall) Hayward. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Janne (Van Valkenburgh), of Bozeman; his sister, Mildred Sargent, of Granite Bay, CA; sons Edward G. (and Sheila) of Milton, MA, William M. “Monty” (and Renee), of Kenwood, CA, and James M. (and Jennifer) of El Sobrante, CA; and his grandchildren: Brendan, Nicholas, Briana and Christopher. He is also survived by his first wife, Sally O. Hayward, of Lafayette; and two nieces.



Though the progression of dementia robbed him of many memories and the razor sharpness of his superb mind, he retained his sense of humor and an ability to make quick calculations, particularly if they held tax implications.



He was equally confident and skilled in a board room as he was in the back country of the Sierras or the Rocky Mountains, where he enjoyed hiking, fishing, and camping for most of his adult life. He led family and friends on camping, fishing and backpacking trips in California, Wyoming, and Montana. Later in life, he enjoyed taking visitors from around the world to Yellowstone National Park to enjoy the scenic grandeur and spot wolves, elk, grizzly bear, and other wildlife.



In Bozeman, he volunteered in support of organizations that helped seniors and the disabled, and those focused on preserving the natural environment in and around the city. He served on the GALAVAN board of advisors, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust board of trustees, and in 2004 was elected to serve on the Bozeman City Study Commission, which offered governance and finance reforms that were ultimately approved by voters.



He volunteered his CPA and leadership expertise by counseling young Bozeman entrepreneurs through the Service Core of Retired Executives and traveled throughout the state each spring assisting residents as part of Montana Tax Counseling for the Elderly. He was a devoted driver for Bozeman’s Meals on Wheels program for more than 20 years. An avid backyard gardener, he was a member of the Gallatin Gardeners Club.



Through the Bozeman Senior Center and the Montana State University Outdoor Recreation Center, he and Janne traveled to China, Iceland, Kenya, the Panama Canal, Peru, Mexico, and South Africa, as well as rafting rivers in Alaska, Canada, and Colorado. They traveled to Australia, England, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Wales, and made frequent trips to Hanalei on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.



A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bill’s memory to the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, 212 S. Wallace Avenue #102, Bozeman, MT 59715, or the Bozeman Senior Center, 807 N. Tracy Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715.