Elizabeth "Libby" Haynes

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William Poindexter Haynes; her parents, Edmund Middleton Daggit and Esther Borghild Overby Daggit; her brother, Edward Arthur Daggit; sister-in-law, Darla Daggit; and daughter-in-law, Kathleen Haynes.

Survivors include her son, William Edmund Haynes; daughter, Elizabeth Leigh Haynes Coffey (Jim); daughter, Esther Ann Haynes; daughter, Mary Poindexter Haynes Miller (Fred); and nephew, Andrew Daggit. Her grandchildren include Alan and Erik Haynes; David (Cass), Kathy (Allen Eikelberg), John (Courtney), and Anna Coffey; and Lucy, Parker, and Duncan Miller. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Dexter and Luke Eickelberg, and Evie and Amzi Coffey.

Libby was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on June 8, 1927. Raised in a home full of books and deep thinking, developed a rich intellect and a fierce independence. She was a free-range child who believed she could accomplish anything through hard work.

She was fascinated by aviation from a young age. She joined the Civil Air Patrol while attending George Washington High School in Alexandria. Unbeknownst to her mother, she used a $10 birthday gift to take her first flying lesson at sixteen. She subsequently earned her pilot’s license before her driver’s license.

As a young adult, she bought a WWII surplus PT-23 airplane that led to many adventures, and one big misadventure. On July 5, 1952, while on a date with a fellow pilot who was showing her how to perform aerial acrobatics, a fuel leak caused the canvas-covered plane to catch fire as he was doing an inversion. The pilot “recommended” that she bail out. She stepped out onto the wing, and was immediately blown off before having the parachute’s ripcord in hand. Fortunately, she found and pulled it, but unfortunately she hit the ground before it had fully deployed. She suffered a back injury and a broken ankle, and the pilot was singed, but managed to land the plane nevertheless. Afterwards, she sewed and re-covered the plane herself, painted it red, and named it Firebird. She kept the plane until after the birth of her first child, when she realized that perhaps flying with a baby at home was not the best course.

After graduating from high school in 1944, she immediately entered nursing school in Richmond under the Cadet Nurse Program. This program was discontinued after the end of the war.

She returned home to attend George Washington University at night while working full-time at the Veterans’ Service Center of the D.C. Government. She graduated from GWU with degrees in mathematics and chemistry.

She then enlisted in the Air Force and attended Officer Candidate School, receiving her commission in September 1951. She was assigned to the Weather Station at Kelly AFB with the additional duty of WAF squadron commander, and later was reassigned to Headquarters, Air Weather Service at Andrews AFB as a recruiter of weather school trainees.

The Air Force sent her for a year of graduate study in meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was the only woman in the cohort and graduated second in her class.

Afterwards she was assigned as a flight forecaster at Pepperrell AFB Newfoundland, where she met her husband, Dexter Haynes. Libby was responsible for giving pilots weather reports and authorizing flight clearances. Dexter was a WWII troop carrier pilot who reenlisted after the war and was working as a transport pilot for the Air Force. Much of their courtship happened over the radio, and they became engaged after four actual dates. It worked out well, as they were happily married for 37 years.

After assignments at Dover, Delaware, and Syracuse, New York, the young family of six relocated to Arlington, Virginia in 1961. Dexter worked at the Smithsonian, and Libby dedicated herself to raising her children. Throughout this period, Libby pursued her many interests and showed her family the joy of learning and the value of determination. She adored Star Trek, tall ships, and maritime and military history. One of Libby’s passions was medieval history. She served as the international librarian for the Richard III Society for many years, and met many interesting people through that. All her children have fond memories of wearing her historically accurate, handmade costumes to Renaissance fairs. Throughout her time as a homemaker, she took night classes to earn graduate credits in oceanography.

In 1975, when her youngest child was 14, she returned to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service as an oceanographer, studying the effects of climatic conditions in the oceans on the abundance and distribution of commercially important fish species. She later worked on Fishery Management Plans and federal regulations governing commercial and sports fishing. She retired from civil service in 1988 to care for Dexter who was seriously ill. Sadly, Dexter died in 1991.

In 2003, Libby made what she felt was the second best decision in her life (after joining the Air Force, where she met Dexter), which was moving into the Greenspring retirement community in Springfield, Virginia. Libby became quite active in multiple organizations: the American Legion, the American Meteorological Society, the Greenspring Aero Club, and the American Fisheries Society among others. She was also a devoted member of the Village Church. She was well known for her sunny disposition and engaging conversations. She lived at Greenspring independently for over 23 years.

In 2009, she was instrumental in establishing American Legion Post 123 at Greenspring, and was the post adjutant for many years. Before transferring into Post 123, Libby belonged to the Unknown Soldier Post 44 of Arlington as a comrade and commander. She was a life member of the American Legion and a member of the Honor Society of Women Legionnaires.

In 2016, Libby was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of her service in the Civil Air Patrol during WWII. This led to a renewed interest, and she joined the local CAP post, where she mentored and educated young aviation enthusiasts.

Libby was unique, amazing, admirable, adorable, and always an example of how to live morally and fully. She will be sorely missed by all who loved her.