Obituary of Wesley Hall Haynes

Wesley Hall Haynes, a lifelong Stamford resident, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on June 28, 2009. Born at home on August 22, 1917, he was the youngest of the eight children of Fred Richardson Haynes and Alice Rich Haynes of Springdale. He was home-schooled by his mother and largely self-educated after completing 6th grade at King School. Wes began working for A. R. Haynes Trucking, his father's hauling and rigging business, in his early teens. In 1940 he was a test driver for the Atlantic Refining Company in Florida. Wes served in the U. S. Coast Guard during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. His first assignment was as a fireman aboard the USCG Cutter Alexander Hamilton engaged in convoy escort duty to keep Allied supply lines open between the U.S. and Britain. He survived the sinking of the Hamilton after it was torpedoed by U-132 off the coast of Iceland on January 29, 1942. After re- assignment in Boston, he was redeployed to the Philippines, where he retrained to crew an amphibious transport for MacArthur's planned invasion of Kyushu. Returning to Springdale in 1946, Wes worked on and off with his brother Herman, a carpenter while operating his father's trucking business with his brother Ellery and later with his future brother-in-law, Archie Volante. In addition to general rigging, setting mausoleums and monuments and pulling wells, Wes and Archie specialized in moving and hoisting heavy objects, such as machinery, household boilers, safes, and pianos under challenging conditions. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Wes restored headstones in rural and church burying grounds in lower Fairfield County. Wes was a member of the Springdale Fire Company from 1939 to 1959, President of the Springdale Lions Club from 1959-1961, and longtime member of the Springdale VFW. He volunteered his time and trucks to many local institutions on behalf of his children including the Navy League Cadets, Sing Out Stamford, Sacred Heart Academy, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. He was predeceased by his wife, Oneita [Volante] Haynes, daughter Sharon, and siblings Dorothy of Stamford, Irene [Reynolds/McDaniel] and Miriam [Tyler/Klein] of West Palm Beach, Florida, Ardelle [Moltenbrey] of Huntington, Massachusetts, Harold of Stamford and West Palm Beach, Herman of West Norwalk, and Ellery of Georgia. OBITUARY FOR WESLEY HALL HAYNES CONTINUED Wes is survived and will be missed by his children Wesley and his life partner Anne Van Ingen of Stamford and New York, Oneita Alarcon and her husband Patrick of Redding, and Alice Gorman and her husband Robert of Fairfield, and granddaughters Claire and Molly Gorman of Fairfield who knew him as "Cottontop." Edward Lawrence Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Internment at Spring Grove Cemetery will be private. A celebration of Wes' life will be held on Sunday July 26 at 1:00 pm at his home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Project from the Heart, c/o Shirley Sambrook, 314 Shoreham Village Drive, Fairfield, CT 06824. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820