[Ed. Note: Mary Haines, wife of the bishop, was a vocal voice of dissent to the policies on gay and lesbian ordination he instituted while bishop. I met her several times during their decade in Washington, and admired her courage and tenacity for the Gospel. Cheryl M. Wetzel]
from: The Living Church
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/3/25/bishop-haines-of-washington-dead-at-73
Posted on: March 25, 2008
The Rt. Rev. Ronald H. Haines, Bishop of Washington from 1990 to 2000, died March 21 at his home in Lancaster, Pa. He was 73.
A native of Wilmington, Del., Bishop Haines entered the ministry after a 10-year career in engineering. He spent most of his ordained ministry in the Diocese of Western North Carolina prior to his election as Bishop Suffragan of Washington in 1986. He was one of the founders of the Virginia and Carolina’s Small Church Conference, and he maintained an interest in small-church ministry even in retirement.
After the sudden death of his predecessor, the Rt. Rev. John T. Walker, in 1989, Bishop Haines was elected Bishop of Washington in 1990. During his 10 years as diocesan, he streamlined the organization of the diocesan administrative center and restructured the way diocesan finances were managed. With assistance from diocesan leaders, Bishop Haines created new mission policies for the use of the diocese’s Ruth Gregory Soper Memorial Fund. He also enlarged upon a tradition in the Diocese of Washington of supporting and ordaining women and homosexual persons to the priesthood.
After retirement, Bishop Haines and his wife, Mary, moved to Lancaster, where he served the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, first as interim rector of St. John’s Church, then as priest-in-charge of St. James’, both in Lancaster. For the past three years, Bishop Haines was priest-in-charge of St. Paul’s, Manheim. In retirement, he also continued to assist with confirmations and ordinations in the dioceses of Central Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Bishop Haines is survived by his wife, who has been in residential Alzheimer’s care for several years, as well as six children: Jennifer Haines Tozier of Advance, Pa., Alicia Haines Pearson and Ronald Gregory Haines, both of Tacoma, Wash., Thomas Jeffrey Haines of Kittery Point, Maine, Jonathan Andrew Haines of Portland, Ore., and Peter Joshua Haines of Rockville, Md.; 16 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at St. James’, Lancaster, on March 27. A memorial service and interment will be held at Washington National Cathedral at a date to be announced.
