Vincent “Vince” Hayden, a longtime Owensboro builder and developer whose work helped shape commercial, residential, and church properties across the region, died Thursday at the age of 88.
Hayden, founder of Hayden Construction Company and Hayden Development, spent more than six decades building in Owensboro and beyond. His projects included nursing homes, churches, parish halls, hotels, commercial developments, strip centers, and the Fox Chase subdivision. Family members said he remained involved in the daily operations of Hayden Development until the final week of his life.
Long before Kentucky 54 became one of Owensboro’s busiest commercial corridors, Hayden could already see what it would become.
Where others saw farmland, Hayden envisioned shopping centers. Where others saw empty lots, he imagined churches, nursing homes, hotels, neighborhoods, and businesses that would serve generations. Even into his late 80s, he was still planning his next project.
“He loved building,” daughter Donna Howard said. “If I could say anything about Dad, that’s what I’d say. Building was his passion.”
Hayden’s success was built on a childhood marked by hardship.
Born in Daviess County in 1937, he was one of six children. When his mother suffered a debilitating stroke, Hayden left school during the 11th grade to help support his family.
His daughter Janet Jones said those experiences shaped the man he would become.
“He used to tear up when he talked about it,” Jones said. “He said he didn’t know what it was like to have a mother hug him and tell him she loved him. He remembered going to school and watching the other children buy ice cream while he couldn’t even afford one.”
After going to work as a bricklayer, Hayden made a decision that would define the rest of his life.
“He said, ‘Why should I do this? I’m going to start my own business,'” Jones said.
That’s why he founded Hayden Construction Company in 1959, launching what would become more than six decades of building across Kentucky and Indiana. Throughout his career, Hayden built projects that became familiar landmarks across the region.
He built numerous Kwik Pick convenience stores that later became The Pantry, developed Fox Chase subdivision, and was one of the driving forces behind the commercial growth along Kentucky 54 through projects including Villa Point Shopping Center.
His family says he was often years ahead of the market.
“Dad was 10 years ahead of his time,” Howard said. “Back when KY 54 was basically nothing, he was buying property and developing Villa Point. People couldn’t see what it was going to become, but he could.”
Jones said Hayden had an unusual instinct for development.
“He could look at a piece of land and tell you exactly what he wanted to build there,” she said. “He knew the square footage, and he knew almost to the dollar what it would cost without even sitting down with a pen and paper.”
Despite never finishing high school, Howard said her father could mentally calculate six- and seven-figure construction costs faster than most people could with a calculator.
“He just had that gift,” she said.
As Hayden Construction grew, so did the family’s involvement.
His son Steve Hayden eventually took over Hayden Construction after learning the business from the ground up, beginning as a young teenager carrying bricks and digging ditches during summers.
Other family members also found their place in the business. Howard managed the company’s hotel division, overseeing the development and operation of two Days Inn properties in Beaver Dam and Springfield. Jones joined Hayden Development after retiring from a nursing career in 2020, serving as chief operating officer while working alongside her father on development projects.
Several daughters worked in the office over the years, while son-in-law Rick Isbill later joined the company as construction manager after retiring from his previous career.
Working beside her father gave Jones a chance to know a different side of him.
“We always knew him as strict and stern,” she said. “But when I started working with him, I got to see his funny side. I’m so glad I got to know him the way I did as a working companion.”
Hayden officially stepped away from Hayden Construction’s main office in 2019, but retirement never truly suited him. Instead, he shifted his focus to Hayden Development and continued acquiring property, developing commercial buildings, and managing projects.
Jones said her father was still discussing upcoming jobs only a week before he died.
“He was calling me and telling me what jobs we were going to continue to do,” she said. “He worked mentally up until a week before he passed.”
Howard said Hayden had been scheduled to break ground on another building this week.
“That’s just who he was,” she said. “He loved breaking ground on something new.”
While Hayden’s buildings became visible fixtures throughout Owensboro, his family says much of his generosity happened quietly.
A lifelong member of St. Pius X Catholic Church, he donated extensively to churches throughout the Diocese of Owensboro and built many parish halls.
He also supported numerous charities and nonprofit organizations, often without seeking recognition.
“He would do things privately,” Howard said. “He shared the wealth.”
Among the many acts his family remembers were helping Birthright of Owensboro through donations and construction work, purchasing dentures for people who couldn’t afford them, and supporting countless churches and charitable causes.
“He just had a passion to help people,” Jones said. “He loved Owensboro. He never wanted to live anywhere else because he thought it was such a good place to live.”
Away from work, Hayden enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and cultivating roses. His family remembers him as an avid fan of western movies — especially John Wayne — and someone who enjoyed reading.
Throughout his business success, Jones said one lesson remained constant.
“He taught all of us that you have to work for what you get,” she said. “You don’t expect it to be handed to you.”
That work ethic traced directly back to the challenges he faced growing up.
“I think because he had to leave school to support his family, that gave him the drive to better himself,” Howard said. “He was honest, he was fast, and he was efficient. That’s why people kept coming back to him.”
As Owensboro continues to grow, much of that growth bears Hayden’s imprint. From churches and nursing homes to shopping centers and neighborhoods, his work became woven into the city’s landscape. But his daughters hope people remember more than the buildings.
“The community is going to miss him,” Howard said. “He had a really good heart. He helped so many people, and he never wanted recognition for it.”
Funeral arrangements
Visitation will be held from 3-7 p.m. on July 6 and 8:30-9:30 a.m. on July 7 at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on July 7 at St. Pius X Catholic Church, followed by entombment at Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum.
Hayden is survived by his children, Donna (Bobby) Howard, Sara (Mike) Clark, Steve (Sandy) Hayden, Janet (Ron) Jones, Denise (Rick) Isbill and Patrick Hayden; 13 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; brothers Martin J. (Joan) Hayden and Samuel J. Hayden; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Laura Jean (Roby) Hayden; his second wife, Tamara (Borjesson) Hayden; brothers Larry R. Hayden Sr. and John Robert Hayden; and sister Margaret A. “Peggy” (Hayden) Edge Wells.
