Blaine Malven Haines

Blaine Malven Haines, 87, died October 5, 2023, at Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community, where he had been a resident for the past five years.

Born on a rainy March 15, 1936, to the late Malven Day and Vercel Margaret (McNaughton) Haines in Clarion County, Pa., he spent much of his early adult life in the Clarks Mills, Pa., area in Mercer County where he graduated from Hadley High School in 1954 and shortly thereafter joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War era. While in the Army he married his high school sweetheart Rose Mary Jones in 1955.

After his honorable discharge from the Army, he was appointed postmaster at Clarks Mills, where he and Rose Mary also owned and operated Haines Superette for many years. Later he was appointed postmaster in Fredonia, Pa., and in 1983 he was named Quarryville postmaster in Lancaster County, Pa. He retired from that office in 1991. He enjoyed his retirement years perfecting his woodworking skills, creating beautiful oak and cherry furniture for friends, family, and clients. He was a master repairer of antique furniture and a general whiz at fixing anything broken. He also enjoyed hunting and gardening—and was into organic gardening before it was fashionable.

He was a lifelong Methodist, most recently a member of Quarryville Memorial United Methodist Church. Among the things he was most proud of was his role as chairman of the building committee of Clarks Mills United Methodist Church when it made the decision to build a modern building in the early 1970s. Completed in the mid-1970s, the building houses a vibrant church community to this day. He was a Freemason and served as Master of the Sandy Lake, Pa., Lodge in the 1970s. While in Quarryville he was active with the Lions Club and was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellow award by the Lions Club International Foundation for “dedicated humanitarian services.”

He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and three siblings, Blair Haines, Evelyn Fagley, and Lois Slater. He is survived by his sister Phyllis Hoobler, of Sheakleyville, Pa.; a daughter Cindy Colleen Graham and husband Nate Graham, MD, of Bradford, Pa.; a son Thomas Blaine and wife Brenda Kay Riley Haines of Walkersville, Md.; grandchildren, Erin Graham Burd (Chris), Brandon Lars Graham (Maggie), Lauren Haines, and Jenna Haines; and great-grandchildren, Zachary and Alexandra Burd, and Theodore and Charlotte Graham.

A Funeral Service will be held at Clarks Mills Community Church, 3813 Hadley Road, Clarks Mills, PA on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 12:00 noon. There will be a viewing at the church from 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon.  Interment will be in Hadley Cemetery, Mercer County, under the supervision of Robert L. Snyder Funeral Home and Crematory in Sheakleyville, PA

The family wishes to recognize the remarkable caring staff at Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community. Instead of flowers, consider memorial contributions to QPRC at 625 Robert Fulton Highway, Quarryville, Pa., 17566.

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