Renard Lance Haywood

Renard Lance Haywood
1957 - 2021

Renard Lance Haywood was born June 28th, 1957 in Manhattan, NY at Lenox Hill Hospital. The 3rd son of Rommie & Rosa Lee Haywood, Renard grew up attending the public schools of Queens County and later attended college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

Renard was taught and learned of the goodness of God at a very young age by his parents and was baptized, accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. A member of Calvary Baptist Church in Jamaica Queens, he was active in Sunday school and the Boys Scouts of America.

A warm and loving soul, he was always ready to engage in conversation, especially about family. He loved our Wilson family reunions, as attending them was truly what he looked forward to and a place where he knew he was connected and loved. He relished in our generational history and was considered the Wilson family historian. As he worked diligently each year to uncover more family facts, you'd see him heading toward you, paper and pen in hand, peeping to see who he could get to next. "Uh oh, here comes Renard!" lol. And sometimes you'd shift to go in the opposite direction because you knew the questions would be coming. He'd take pictures each year and would come back to you the following year handing out copies from where he captured you unknowingly. It was his way of giving you "a gift" from his heart – his way of showing you love.

A brilliant mind, Renard graduated from Pratt Institute School of Engineering with a BSEE and a 3.0/4.0 GPA. He additionally earned his Master of Science Degree in Computer Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NY. His work history consisted of him shifting between being a Technician, Design Engineer, Test Engineer,Programmer or Associate DesignEngineer for companies like General Dynamics where he designed and tested electrical systems used on F16 & F111 aircrafts, to being employed by Raytheon ESDM, United Technologies, Texas Instruments, Allen Aircraft Radio, Meggitt Aerospace, KB Electronics and Vibranalysis-Seismic Consulting.

Renards last employment was with the New York Stock Exchange where he was a specialist clerk and courier for brokers on the floor of the stock exchange. He was proud of his job and trained over 120 new floor assistants per year and delivered over 150 floor reports daily.

Renard survived the collapse of the World Trade Towers and later survived a diagnosis of cancer. Most don't know about his struggles at varying times with anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks and even depression, but Renard fought through it all, determined to live without limits. For him each day was about staying alive and truly the joy of being alive. Through medications, chemo pills, insulin shots, doctors' appointments – these things were ongoing for years, but you never heard him complain. No one knew the daily cross her bared. A trooper, his faith, and Gods indwelling Spirit kept him going. Determined that we should all receive our 120 years of life, he trusted God to give him strength to get through anything.

On the afternoon on March 30th at 4:20 pm, Renard was called home to glory where he was reunited with love ones, our ancestors, our missed tribe. Renard touched the lives of so many family members. Truly opinionated, often stubborn and brash, he still was loving and kind spirited with a certain touch of child like innocence. His beautiful life will forever be cherished and missed.

Renard was preceded in death by his parents, Rommie and Rosa Lee Haywood and brother Ryan Haywood. He leaves to cherish his memory his older brother Rommie Haywood of Brentwood NY and sister Rita Haywood of Cambria Heights NY, his aunt Gladys McCorkle of Newton NC. Uncle Lewis (Agnes) Wilson of Shaker Heights, OH, Uncle Howard of Shaker Heights, OH and a host of cousins, great cousins and friends.