Rachel Maness Haney

Rachel was born to William Emerson Maness and Virgie Elizabeth Holloway Maness on September 19, 1926, in Luray, Henderson County, Tennessee. She lived through the Great Depression, helped with raising her younger brothers, and married Robert Hardy Haney of Bemis on October 28, 1943, in West Palm Beach, Florida, while he was serving in the US Coast Guard during World War II. She worried about him while he was overseas, yet he made it through safely while her own father was killed during an explosion at the Milan Army Ammunition Plant where he worked in 1945.

Rachel is survived by her children, Barbara Haney Shepard, Kathy Haney Williams (Butch), Ken Haney (Loriann); grandchildren, Jeff Shepard, Amy Shepard Stanfill (Phillip), Angela Haney, Jessica Haney, Blake Williams (Wendy), Spencer Williams; great-grandchildren, Scott and Zachary Shepard, Andrew and Alivia Haney, Cason and Cade Crabtree, Selena Stanfill, Liam Williams; step-grandchildren, Shelly Williams Kocisko (Leon), Stacy Williams Nowell (Jared); six step-great-grandchildren; and her brother, Gil Maness (Lavell). Rachel was predeceased by her parents, husband, and brother Joe Neal Maness (Jewell). Rachel was known affectionately to her family as “Babe.”

Rachel received her high school diploma from Chester County High School. She was a member of Madison Baptist Church where she served many years as a Sunday School teacher and finance secretary. She was a member of the Jackson-Madison Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Rachel was a devoted homemaker who enjoyed sewing, cooking, reading, gardening, photographing nature, traveling, and communicating with friends on Facebook. She visited forty-seven states and ten countries. When the Madison Hall FCE Club disbanded in 2006, Rachel was the longest continuous member with forty-five years of membership. In 2006, she won first place for the third time in the Western District Cultural Arts photography contest sponsored by the UT Agriculture Center. Her photography was displayed throughout her home from her travels to Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Hawaii, and other states. Her most prestigious sewing award was received several years ago when she won first place in the Sewing with Cotton contest at the Mid-South Fair in Memphis. She also made the wedding dresses for her daughters.

Funeral services will be held at the South Chapel of George A. Smith & Sons Funeral Home on Friday, January 29, with visitation beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the funeral service at 1:00 p.m. with Rev. Gerald O. Smith and Rev. Greg Gilbreath presiding. Burial will follow in Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers that memorials be made to the Rachel Haney Memorial Fund at the WTH Foundation, 620 Skyline Drive, Jackson, TN 38301 or to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital (Neurology), Attn: Rakisha, PO Box 41817, Memphis, TN 38174.

http://www.wth.org/foundation/

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