Bill E. Haines

Bill E. Haines, 78, of Paynesville, MN, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, September 5, 2025. He was surrounded by his family and will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held at the Daniel-Anderson Funeral Home, Paynesville, on Friday, September 12, 2025, at 12:00 PM. A time of visitation will be held two hours prior to the service. Burial with military honors will take place immediately following the service at the Paynesville Cemetery.

Bill Edward Haines was born in Willmar, MN on August 17, 1947 to Mack and Pearl Haines. He grew up in Paynesville and graduated from Paynesville High School in 1965. In 1966, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve where he gained the rank of E6 and was a Platoon Sgt. He was a member of the American Legion Post 217, Paynesville. During those years, he finished his degree and graduated from Southwest State College with a B.A. in Social Science. During his final quarter he interned at the Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Criminal Justice Council. After graduating, he moved to the metro area and began testing for a law enforcement job. Bill married Gloria Jourdain. They had three boys together: Peter, William and Edward. Years later, they divorced.

Bill spent 26 years with the Ramsey County Sheriff Department in St. Paul. During this period, he served as a Watch Commander, Deputy Division Commander, and at various times, an acting Lieutenant. He retired with the rank of Sgt. When Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev was in St. Paul, he and his partner made the only arrest that day during the parade down Summit Ave. A person reported that a man had a gun. He and his partner ran up behind him and found two bowie type knives on him. He was charged with possessing two dangerous weapons.

After retiring from the Sheriff Department, Bill entered the U.S. Marshal Service as a Special Deputy in court security in the Minneapolis and St. Paul Federal Court Houses. He also married Deborah Kenard at this time. After about five years with the Marshal’s Service, Ramsey County called and asked him if he would consider coming back to train in a new Sgt. In the Civil Process Division, he worked as a supervisor for about 15 years. He retired and went back multiple times for an additional two years.

Throughout his life, Bill enjoyed sports. In his junior year in high school, he was the medalist in the district 20 golf tournament. In his senior year, he was runner-up. Also, as a senior, he was all-conference in both basketball and baseball. The basketball team was undefeated in conference play. He led the conference in field goals which was then the record. He had 35 points in one game and was named to the WCCO all-state team of the week. At Willmar Junior College, Bill was a starter on the basketball team and was medalist.

When his sons were growing up, Bill coached about two dozen youth baseball and basketball teams while living in Coon Rapids. In retirement, he enjoyed doing puzzles, watching sports, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Deborah; sons, Peter, William, Edward; stepchildren, Wendy Jourdain, James Hazlerigg, Hiawatha Hazlerigg, Rhyhem Valladay, Bryant Jones; many grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mack and Pearl; brother, Don; stepson, Robert Fulks; and brother-in-law, Robert Kenard.