Rev. Carl Wrenn Haley

HALEY, Rev. Dr. Carl Wrenn, 95, of Roanoke, died Saturday evening, August 30, 2008 at the Roanoke United Methodist Home. Rev. Haley was born November 27, 1912 in Strasburg, Va., the fourth son of the Rev. and Mrs. James H. Haley, a minister in the Baltimore conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Carl followed in the Master's footsteps from his earliest days. In the fall of 1929 at age 16, he took the train to Emory and Henry College with all his worldly fortune, a 100-dollar investment given to him by his presiding elder. He graduated cum laude in 1933 and then went to Duke University School of Religion in Durham, N.C., where he graduated with honors in 1936. After receiving his license to preach in 1930, he filled in at many local churches during his college and university years. After graduation he was admitted to the Baltimore Conference of the M.E.C.S. and appointed to Frostburg, Md., to supply two churches. He was transferred to the Virginia Conference in December of 1936 and he remained in the conference until his retirement in 1990. During his ministerial career, Carl served the Boonsboro/North Bedford circuit, Fox Hill, Duncan Memorial in Ashland (where he also served as chaplain at Randolph-Macon College), Craddock in Portsmouth, Belmont in Roanoke, Calvary in Arlington, Washington Street in Petersburg, Central in Stanton, Trinity in Newport News, Arlington Forest in Arlington and First Church in Charlottesville. He was appointed as Superintendent of The Portsmouth District from 1973 to 1979. After his "retirement," he was administrator of the Lydia Roper Home in Norfolk from 1979 to 1983 and then associate pastor of Baylake Church in Virginia Beach until 1990. During these years Carl was tireless in his devotion to the church. He provided leadership on many conference committees, hosted Elderhostel for 10 sessions, and was on the board of directors of many organizations, including the Pastors School, the Virginia United Methodist Homes, and the Virginia Conference Children's Homes. A champion of education, he supported Virginia Wesleyan from its inception both financially and as a trustee. In 1971, Dr. Haley delivered a sermon at the White House at the personal invitation of President Nixon, who was a housemate during his university years at Duke. The Rev. Haley was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Randolph-Macon in 1965 and another from Emory and Henry in 1998. Surviving him are his devoted wife of 45 years, Margaret Young Gifford Haley; one son, Carl Wrenn Haley Jr. and his wife, Elaine Crume Haley, of Mechanicsville; and a daughter, Cynthia Haley Spencer. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Benjamin Alan Crume Haley, his wife, Joriel Foltz Haley, and Jason Patrick Haley, all three of Seattle, Wash., Eva Lynn Haley Doody of Mechanicsville, Steven Gowans and Max Spencer, both living in the Tidewater region. Carl has two living sisters, Martha Orem of Denver and Lucy Laudenslager of Allentown, Pa.; and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Eva Gantt Haley; and a son, Russell Haley. A memorial service for family and loved ones will be held Friday, September 5, at 2 p.m. at the Greene Memorial United Methodist Church in Roanoke. The service will be conducted by the Reverends Gary Robbins and Herbert Hobbs and the Rev. Dr. Christopher Morse, Professor of Theology and Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. There will be a time of food and fellowship in the Social Hall at 1 p.m. so that friends can gather with the family before the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Russell Haley Scholarship Fund at Virginia Wesleyan, the Greene Memorial Renovation Project or to favorite charities. Oakey's Roanoke Chapel handling funeral arrangements. 540-982-2100.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.