Carl Haines

Carl Haines, 79, of Englewood, Colo., formerly of Ogallala, died Dec. 15, 2010, at the Swedish Medical Center in Englewood.
Carl was born Jan. 5, 1931, in Chicago, Ill., the son of Gerhardt and Bertha VanDamme Hammerstrom. In his early years he moved to LaSalle-Peru, Ill., with his parents. They owned a sewing machine and fabric store. He often helped in the store.
Carl graduated from LaSalle-Peru High School with the Class of 1948, with honors and one year early. He lettered in football and basketball in high school. Carl attended LaSalle-Peru Junior College before joining the U.S. Marine Corp. He received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., and graduated with the Class of 1955. Carl attended several class reunions and enjoyed reliving his days at the Academy with his classmates. In 2005 he attended his 50th class reunion.
Soon after graduating from the Naval Academy he married Madeleine Vandoren at Chevy Chase, Md., in September 1955. Six children were born to this union.
Upon graduation from the Naval Academy he transferred to the Air Force for four years and was stationed in Selma, Ala.; Biloxi, Miss.; Orlando, Fla.; and Victorville, Calif. Upon discharge from the Air Force he went to work for Potomac Electric in Washington, D.C., in 1960 and lived in Wheaton, Md. He was a devout Navy and Washington Redskin fan and had season tickets. He coached eighth grade basketball at St. Catherines in Maryland.
In 1968 Carl became an engineer for Commonwealth Associates, first in Sioux City, Iowa, and then in Jackson, Mich. One of his projects was designing and directing construction of the power lines out of the new Gerald Gentleman Power Plant at Sutherland. His work for Commonwealth also included a two-year (1975-77) assignment in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Carl and Madeleine divorced in 1981.
He then moved to Denver and opened an office for Commonwealth. He was project manager in Tehran, Iran, and was there during the overthrow of the Shah and the Revolution. Carl married Elizabeth Goertz and the couple made their home in Denver until 1989. He changed positions and was then working for Black and Veach as a consulting engineer. Carl was transferred to Scottsdale, Ariz., where they made their home until 1992. He was then transferred to the home office of Black and Veach at Kansas City, Kan. In 1993 he decided to retire and he and Liz moved to the farm in Keith County. Carl was appointed a Keith County Commissioner in 1995. In 1997 he decided to build a home at the Ogallala Golf Course area and enjoyed several years of golfing and friends.
In 1994 Carl was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In 2002 he became ill with Acquired Factor VIII Inhibitor, a blood disorder. He remained active in spite of his illnesses. In 2009 they moved to a retirement community in Denver. He enjoyed volunteering at the General Store, playing poker and visiting with friends.
He was an active church member, Rotarian, and RSVP volunteer. He enjoyed visiting with friends and playing board games. Regardless of what happened, his favorite saying was, "Life is Good." He is remembered for his kindnesses, his love of people, and his love for his family.
Preceding him in death was his brother, Jim Haines.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, of Englewood, Colo.; four sons, Bill (Cheryl) Haines, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Mike Haines, of San Diego, Calif., Greg (Cathy) Haines, of Midland, Mich., David (Alison) Haines, of Charlotte, N.C.; two daughters, Kathy (Mike) Tompkins, of San Diego, Calif., and Margaret (Sven) Hahr, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; step-children, Kevin Goertz and David Goertz, both of Westminster, Colo., Chris Goertz, of Alexandria, Va., Steve Goertz, of Minneapolis, Minn., and Lisa Goertz, of Centennial, Colo.; 15 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren; and one expected in January.
Services were Dec. 20 at the Ogallala First Congregational, United Church of Christ with the Revs. Lauran Heidenreich and Phil Ewert officiating.
Memorials are suggested to the Parkinson Disease Foundation and the Ogallala First Congregational Church.
Burial was at the Ogallala Cemetery with military honors by the Keith County Veterans Organization. Online condolences may be sent to drauckerfh.com Draucker Funeral Home of Ogallala was in charge of arrangements.