Jerald Haynes

A husband, father, brother and veteran died on March 15th, 2011. Jerald Alden Haynes died from complications of pneumonia surrounded by his family at the age of 87. He was born in May 2nd, 1923 in Hastings, Michigan to Ronald and Catherine (Bechtel) Haynes. He grew up working on farms, in the Barry County area, with his parents and his beloved brother, John. In his early years he was known for his skills in bowhunting and competitive archery. He served in the army signal corp during WWII and was stationed in France. When he returned, he completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. He married Cacilie "Illi" Lenz in 1954 and they had 4 children. Jerry worked for Ford Motor, Harter Corp. and Lear Siegler and later plant manager of manufacturing. He was transferred to Ohio in '64 and then later Colorado in '67. Jerry was an engineer and always had paper nearby to draw new design plans that he was thinking about. His basement was his sanctuary where he puttered for hours on end either building bows, golfclubs, or electrical circuits. Once he was transferred to Colorado, there was no moving him anywhere else. He seemed to be born for the mountains. He was an avid hiker, camper, mushroomer and rockhound. He also enjoyed bowling, golf and weekend card games with close friends. After retiring, Jerry and Illi enjoyed many years of traveling in Colorado, the Southwest, and to Michigan and Germany several times. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ronald and Catherine, his brother John and wife Clara, daughters Janet Haynes and Patricia Weisensee . He is survived by his wife Illi of 57 years (Aurora), Michael (Jean) Haynes of Louisville, Carol (Greg) Peterson of Loveland, son-in-law Ted Weisensee of Byers, grandchildren Monica Cox, Kathleen (Duane) Clinnin, Jenna Haynes, Danielle Langworthy, Katherine Peterson, Brett Peterson, great-grandchildren Kevin, Diana, Cheyenne and Dylan Clinnin, nieces and nephews Pam Haynes, Cindy Cary, Jim Haynes, John Haynes. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jerald's name to: The American Cancer Society.