Gregory S. Haymans' Obituary
Gregory S. Haymans, 56, of Potomac Falls, VA, formerly of Great Falls, VA, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, September 13, 2018. He was born on March 7, 1962 in Washington, DC, the son of Bob and Carole (Shaffer) Haymans. He was raised in Camp Springs, Maryland, where he had wonderful childhood friends.
Greg was predeceased by his father. He is survived by his mother; his children: Caroline, Andrew, and Joshua Haymans; his former wife, Catherine Haymans; a sister, Kimberly Haymans-Geisler (Max), of Eagleville, PA; uncles and aunts: Richard Shaffer (Natalka) of Woodland Park, NJ, Sean Shaffer of Colorado Springs, CO, Karen Peters of Dunkirk, MD; and many cousins.
He studied piano for several years. A talented youth athlete, Greg excelled in baseball and basketball. He was a graduate of Bishop McNamara High School (Class of 1980) and Mount St. Mary’s University (Class of 1984).
For over three decades, he was employed as a successful corporate sales executive within the government and technology sectors.
In his spare time, Greg enjoyed reading, studying history, playing his piano, and socializing, boating, and crabbing with family and friends.
He served as a member, former vice president, and Education Committee chairperson of the Great Falls Historical Society, designing and conducting the annual GFHS trivia contest held on July 4th.
Greg actively participated in church events and was a member of the Our Lady of Hope Council (No. 12971) of the Knights of Columbus, holding the title of Third Degree Knight in the Pope John Paul II Assembly.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, VA at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 3, with Rev. Nicholas Schierer officiating. There will be a short visitation, including a Rosary, at 11:00 a.m., preceding the Mass. Burial in Dunkirk, Calvert County, Maryland at Southern Memorial Gardens will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Greg’s memory may be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or The American Heart Association (AHA).
The foregoing information supplements the following obituary that Greg personally composed in 2010:
Greg Haymans passed away. Greg was a caring individual who loved his children – Caroline, Andrew, and Joshua – and always wanted the best for them, focusing them on education, caring and love for others, and the need to always maintain their integrity in all relationships. Greg leaves his lifelong friends whom he met freshmen year at Mount St. Mary’s College (B.A., ’84): Vince Dougherty and Chris Gordon. The three loved to play golf, attend sporting events, and vacation together while always keeping up with family.
Greg, an avid sports fan, was known to particularly focus on college basketball. He also was a dedicated fan of his children’s sports teams, coaching many of these teams throughout their youth and seldom missing a game as a fan.
Always very close with his parents, Greg learned a great deal from his calm and steady-handed father and ever-involved mother, whom he loved and remained close with throughout his life. Greg also had a sister, Kim, in Pennsylvania whom he saw on an infrequent basis.
Greg loved studying history and, in particular, colonial and Civil War history to learn why past Americans made the decisions they made. As such, Greg could be found visiting Gettysburg or Antietam to learn more details and emblaze these details in his memory.
Greg loved swing dancing, playing his piano, and socializing with his friends – Chris, Vince, Jane, and others – in Old Town taverns for an evening. On the weekends, Greg could be found in warm months on his boat fishing or water skiing.
Greg was a career professional salesman who prided himself on delivering what he promised and seeing difficult projects through to conclusion as specified. Starting with Eastman Kodak for ten years, Greg was often the top salesman in the DC region. Then, with Oracle and other IT firms, Greg hit his stride, helping start-up firms to succeed in the go-go days of the Internet age. For the last one-third of his career, Greg was the consummate sales professional in the enterprise healthcare software industry with Trizetto Group, where he set records for sales volume as federal subsidized healthcare programs were implemented throughout the payer community.
Don’t be sad about Greg’s passing as he wishes that you think of him as standing there with you today like an old friend.
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