Samuel Alonzo Stem "Sam" Haynes

      “Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Samuel Alonzo "Sam" Haynes, it summarized in every way who he was. He was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around him and always thinking before acting. He was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything he did. He was a friendly person who truly cared about those around him.

       He was the son of Alonzo and Cinnie Mae Haynes. Raised in Corinth, MS, he was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy. As a child, he learned to be conscientious, responsible and punctual. These were all traits that he would carry with him throughout his life.

      As a young boy, Stem (a childhood nickname) was always aware of how others around him felt and this quality served him well. With a deep capacity to tolerate the feelings of others, Stem was generally able to avoid conflicts. Stem also had the ability to relate well with his family and friends. Stem was raised with one sibling. He was the youngest child of five children. Dorothy Louise was 15 years old when Sam was born. The other three children died before Stem was born. Stem was constantly involved in activities with his family. Stem and his sibling deeply cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years.

      Growing up, Stem was was able to enjoy the pure fun in various childhood activities. He was a member of the Corinth High School Band and played trombone.

      Stem enjoyed learning. He always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Stem was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. He often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Stem was painstaking and accurate in his efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. He graduated from Corinth High School in 1949. He always said that education was on thing no one could every take from you.

      Stem had a good disposition for the challenges of college. He always enjoyed reading, so all of those lengthy required reading assignments seemed to be less of a burden for him. In fact, Stem seemed to absorb and remember everything he read. Not all things came easily to Stem, however, and he found success by being a diligent and accurate person who would dig into a project and work through until it reached its completion. He was very thorough and labored long and hard in order to reach his goals. He started college at Union University in Jackson, TN and pledged ATO fraternity. After the first year he and 5 other classmates joined the Air Force during the Korean War. After his honorable discharge from the Air Force he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Business from Delta State University. While at Delta State University, Sam played in a jazz band. He started Masters in Business Administration at Mississippi State University but did not finish. His Dad became ill and Sam returned home to help with the family business.

      Most folks would say that Sam was shy until they got to know him. Those who were privileged to know him well learned that he was a solid, good friend. Sam was reluctant to generalize about people, and he based his friendships on his personal experiences. Because of this, Sam best trusted those people that he truly knew. He was concerned about how those around him felt, and he always seemed to uncover the positive side of people. He could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to “walk a mile in their shoes,” as the saying goes. The friends that he made, Sam kept. While growing up, his best friend was Bobby Warren, his cousin. Later in life, he became friends with Dick Hiseman (a friend from his Air Force days who lives in Nebraska), Leroy Gray, Ted Avant, Frank Berry, Bryan Byers, and Billy Rushing (room mate at MSCC).

      Love can’t be defined but must be experienced. That was so true for Sam. On May 21, 1961 Sam married Lena Lee Dobson at Lee's uncle's house of Birmingham, AL. He was totally committed to Lena Lee and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Sam naturally sensed his spouse’s needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. Although Sam disliked conflict, he did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times.

      Sam was a good father to his child. He had “old fashioned” parental values and could handle typical family conflicts in a fair and calm manner. Because he trusted emotions, Stem was reluctant to force issues and used gentle persuasion to resolve situations. In this way he seemed to radiate an aura of warmth and caring to those around him, always thinking before acting. Sam was blessed with one daughter, Daphne Lynn Haynes Anglin (Daphne) and son-in-law Franky Perry Anglin (Perry). Sam and Lee were also blessed with one grandson, Perry Brian Anglin (Brian).

      If you gave Sam a deadline, he would meet it. At work, Sam was always on task. Without hesitation, Stem could adhere to any assignment and see it through to its completion. His primary occupation was retail management. He was employed with Shainberg's Department Store (the old Black & White Store) for 27 years. He was employed with Wal Mart for 11 years until his retirement. During that time, Sam excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. He was able to quickly grasp concrete ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Sam was good at staying on track and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Sam had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. He was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

      Sam was an Air Force Veteran. He seemed to thrive on the routines offered up by the military. Being a literal thinker with a calm exterior helped him handle the rigors of the military. Sam did his basic training in 1951 at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tx. He was briefly stationed in Colorado before being transferred to Sonderstrom, Greenland during the Korean Conflict. He spent a brief time at the base in Greenville, MS where he was honorable discharged. Sam was stationed in Somderstrom, Greenland during the Korean conflict. The only action he saw was the snow and ice but was issued a bazooka. Through his hard work and dedication, He achieved the rank of Airman 1st Class. He was the paymaster. He received several awards including a Good Conduct metal.

      Sam liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced Sam's choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, Sam tried to set aside time to work on his hobbies. Sam enjoyed fishing, boating, coin collecting, going to the beach and talking on this ham radios. He talked to other ham radio operators all over the world.

      He enjoyed watching his favorite teams whenever he got the opportunity. Sam loved to watch football both college and professional. Some of his favorite teams were MSU, Tennessee, Dallas Cowboys, and any team that Peyton and Eli Manning played on.

      Due to his excellent organizational skills, Sam was a welcome addition to the professional and community organizations to which he belonged. Sam could bring established, successful methods to the discussion table, along with a generous helping of common sense. Stem was good at making and keeping schedules and never got bogged down in unnecessary details.

      An individual who respected and maintained traditional values, his faith was important to Sam. His compassion, consideration and sympathy toward others was evident in his personal beliefs. He was a member of Waldron Street Christian Church for his entire life. During that time, he was a deacon and elder. As an elder, he served at various times as the Chairman of the elders. He was also the finance officer and did all the intake deposits.

      Anyone who traveled or went on vacation with Sam had a good time. Favorite vacations were going to the beach. We always left on Father's Day and traveled to Pensacola, FL; Perdido Key, FL; Organge Beach, AL; or Gulf Shores, AL. Fishing, walking on the beach, swimming, laying out and relaxing were among the favorite activties. And,of course, eating seafood was the best activity.

      Sam had dogs during his lifetime. Fefe was the first, a black poodle. Nickie was next, a doberman pincher. Coco was next, a chocolate brown labrador retriever. And last but not least was Scootsie, a pug. Sam was as loyal to his pets as they were to him.

      When Sam's retirement finally arrived in 1994 - during the Ice Storm of 1994, he was well prepared. He had taken the time to learn about his various options and chose his course wisely. He retired from the Wal Mart store in Booneville, MS and continued to live in Corinth, MS. In retirement, he stayed active in church, went to the beach more, talked on his ham radios, and developed a new found interest in reading and watching movies. Even in retirement, Sam continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. While at Mississippi Care Center he loved playing bingo and going on the outings where they visited the local restaurants for lunch.

      Sam passed away on May 17, 2015 at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, MS. Sam had a heart attack in November of 1993. From that time his heart gradually became weaker over the years and eventually too weak to pump effectively. This caused pneumonia and respiratory failure. He is survived by his daughter, Daphne; son-in-law, Perry; grandson, Brian and his wife LeAnne; his cousin, Bobby and his wife Pow and thier children Aussie and Sydney. Services were held at McPeter's Funeral Home in Corinth, MS. Sam was laid to rest in City Cemetery in Corinth, MS.

      It is said that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Sam was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Sam was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of man to whom everyone was drawn. He was thorough and practical. Sam Haynes was very literal with his words. You always knew where you stood with Sam. He will be missed.

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Samuel Alonzo "Sam" Haynes

March 22, 1931 - May 17, 2015

Sam was born on March, 22 1931. He died May 17, 1931 at Magnolia Regional Health Center. Sam "Sambo", "Stem", was a dearly loved son, husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was a lifelong resident of Corinth and an elder of the Waldron Street Christian Church. The Haynes family owned the Haynes Dry Cleaners in Corinth until its closing.

Sam graduated Corinth High School in 1949. He attended Union University until he joined the Air Force in January of 1951. He was a clerk typist/paymaster in the Air Force while he was stationed in Greenland during the Korean War. Upon discharge he attended and graduated from Delta State University with a B.A. in Business. He went to work for Shainberg's Department Store in New Orleans where he met Lee who he married on May 21, 1961. They were married 49 1/2 years until her death in 2010. Sam managed Shainberg's Department Stores in Little Rock, AR and Corinth until the mid 1980's when the stores were sold. He went to work in management for Wal-Mart in Stuttgart, AR, Corinth, Iuka and Booneville where he retired in 1994. He enjoyed being a ham radio operator, going to the beach and fishing. He was a resident of Mississippi Care Center for the last four years. He enjoyed playing bingo and going on the trips to the local restaurants to eat lunch.

Sam was preceded in death by his wife, Lena Lee Haynes; his parents, Alonzo and Cinnie Mae Haynes; a sister Dorothy Louise Haynes and his cousin Roberta Johnson.

He is survived by his daughter Daphne Anglin and husband Perry; a grandson Brian Anglin and wife LeAnne; a cousin Robert (Bob) Warren and wife Pow, and their children Aussie and Sydney and cousins; Jeff Johnson and wife Cindy and their child, and Steve Johnson and wife Coleen and their children.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at McPeter's Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will be a Corinth City Cemetery. Bro. Ted Avant will be officiating. William McMullin will be the pianist playing "How Great Thou Art". The Honor Guard will be presenting military honors including a 3 gun salute, the playing of "Taps" and folding /presentation of the US flag. Memorials may be made to the Waldron Street Christian Church Building Fund PO Box 447 Corinth, MS 38834 in memory of Sam Haynes.