Bill Haines was our neighbor and friend. Bill was a long time election officer in Coatesville’s 4-2 Ward. Voters looked forward to seeing him at the polls

 Betty & Me were at our back door returning from vacation when we got a call that Bill had passed on. 

A librarian by profession, Bill was a studious supporter of various local Chester County, Democratic candidates and also Democrats across our nation. 

Bill carefully researched candidates. He often discussed Democratic candidates with me to help decide which to support. The final decision was always his own. 

He was employed for a time by the Merchant Marine as a ship’s librarian. He told me it was an opportunity to visit several countries mostly in, if I remember correctly, Europe and North Africa.

His health and a foot problem made walking painful and ordinary life difficult. 

I would look in on him when he lived in Coatesville. 

Bill was once assaulted and robbed while sitting on his front porch. The robber was a white man who evidently planned to rob old & disabled people as he walked through Coatesville. His home being near the Kurt Strauss Memorial Bridge marking the east end of the Lincoln Highway in Coatesville Bill was his first victim in Coatesville.  Bill called 911. The robber was stopped by Coatesville Police 3 blocks from Bill’s home. 

US Air Force Honor Guard 

I encouraged Bill to stay year round at his condo on the Ocean City, NJ Boardwalk where he also had friends and it was easier for him to get around. 

He desperately wanted to stay in Coatesville. Bill felt that Coatesville needed him. 

Bill Haines was also Bill Chertok’s friend. 

Bill Chertok, Elwood Dixon and now Bill Haines. Coatesville is losing its old guard Democrats. 

We miss them all. 

William Landis Haines

William L. Haines, 84, of Ocean City, NJ, passed away after a brief illness on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Hickory House Nursing Home, Honey Brook.  Born in Coatesville, he was the son of the late I. Landis and Lillian R. B. Haines.

Bill grew up in Coatesville and was a graduate of S. Horace Scott High School, received a BS in English from Ursinus College, a MA in American History from Temple University, and an MS in Library and Information Service from Drexel University.  He served as an academic librarian in colleges in New York and Chicago, retiring from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. He lived in Coatesville and Ocean City following his retirement.

Bill was a life member of Olivet Methodist Church and the Coatesville Country Club.  He proudly served in the U.S. Air Force. He was also a member of The American Library Association and many other academic groups.

Books were indispensable to Bill.  He enjoyed concerts, plays, films and especially music! He was known for his annual Christmas letters, detailed summaries of his thoughts and activities.  In his 2002 letter, he related his feelings concerning the death of his beloved mother.  He wrote, "She was in her home where she belonged, surrounded by her things." Bill spent his final years in the same way, living in his condominium overlooking the ocean and the boardwalk. He enjoyed sitting on his balcony with his caregiver, John, who he loved and considered a part of his family.

He is survived by his cousins, Cheryl (Sherry) Brown Laub, Susan (Bob) Brown Kelshaw, Stephen Brown, Kevin (Patty) Brown, his dear friend, Sandra Kreiss-Schmidt, and his loving caregiver, John Gorman.  He was preceded in death by his fiance, Betty Page Garman Russell.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 2, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. from the Wilde Funeral Home, Parkesburg, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. until service time.  Interment and military honors will follow at Upper Octorara Cemetery, Parkesburg. Online condolences can be posted at www.wildefuneralhome.com