Former publisher of Blytheville, Ark., paper dies at 89

Harry Haines

Harry Albert "Hank" Haines, age 89, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., passed away Sunday, Jan. 31, at his home surrounded by his loving family.

When asked during his last week where he was born, Haines said, "Blytheville, Arkansas." Upon being reminded that he was from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., he adamantly held to his original answer. Hank's parents, the late Harry Wilmer and Florence Gallup Haines, moved to the Arkansas Delta when Hank was a small boy, and the region remained central to his identity.

In addition to his Southern roots, Hank was passionate about a range of topics, big and small: his political views, his strong faith, his leadership of civil rights in Arkansas, his editorials and news coverage as former editor and publisher of the Blytheville Courier News, good ol' rock 'n' roll, pretty girls, wide-brimmed hats, Blytheville Chickasaw football, and the importance of turning off lights when leaving a room.

He will be most fondly remembered for his palpable, unfaltering love of his wife and his four daughters, his kindness and sharp wit, and his crusade for the vulnerable and marginalized. He was the embodiment of Matthew 25:40: "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.'"

Hank is survived by his wife of 34 years, Melinda Haines; four daughters, Elizabeth Flippo and her husband Pat of Fayetteville, Ark., Harriett Jumper and her husband Randy of Blytheville, Ark., Margaret Maxey and her husband Mike of Dyersburg, Tenn., and Jesse Anna Bornemann and her husband Eric of Sewanee, Tenn.; nine grandchildren, Becton Bell, Ross Bell, Patton Black, Emily Crosskno, Shelby Jumper, Libby Primm, Evelyn Gomez, Mary Maxey, and Hank Bornemann; and eight great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 315 E. Main St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130, phone (615) 893-3780, Reach Out and Read (designated for the "Hank Haines Early Literacy Program at Sewanee Pediatrics"), 89 South St., Suite 201, Boston, MA 02111, phone (617) 455-0600, Blytheville Chickasaws High School Football Program, 600 N. 10th St., Blytheville, AR 72315, phone (870) 762-2772, or Mississippi County Library, 200 N. 5th St., Blytheville, AR 72315, phone (870)762-2431.

An online guestbook is available for the family at www.woodfinchapel.com. Woodfin Memorial Chapel (615) 893-5151.