Sara Haines

August 26, 2014

Sara Bowman Haines, of Moorestown, New Jersey passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, August 26th, at the age of 85. She was the beloved wife of Senator C. William (Bill) Haines for 42 years before his death in 1996. Born in August 1929 to Dorothy and Robert Bowman, Sara (known to many as Sally) grew up in Haddonfield, and remained there until her graduation from Haddonfield High School in 1947. A child of the Great Depression, then the War, she remembered the challenges of those times, made greater by the death of her much- loved father in 1942 when she was 12. Sara went on to attend Goucher College, then Temple University, and subsequently landed a job working for the Farm Journal, a publication headquartered in Philadelphia. But, for Sara, life was all about family. She married Bill Haines, a farmer from an old-line Burlington County family, in 1954. As his partner, she embraced the hard work it took to run the 400 acre family fruit farm and raise their four children. A firm believer in giving back, she also found time to volunteer weekly for decades at Memorial Hospital now Virtua of Mt. Holly, an activity she’d begun as a teen -- babies always delighted her – at Cooper Hospital during the War. When Bill decided to continue the family tradition of holding political office, Sara jumped in and often hosted parties for 200- plus people on the lawn of Hillsdown, their 18th century farmhouse in Mt. Laurel. After Bill's death, she served on the Board of Trustees of Samaritan Hospice for more than a decade. A lifelong lover of classical music, Sara attended her first concert of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of three and continued to attend religiously until 2011, marking 80 years as a devoted audience member. She also adored animals. Besides the usual household pets, pigs became her animal of choice after her children gave her one – Pig-wig -- for her 40th birthday. “Yes, they can be somewhat smelly,” she’d say -- “you’d smell too if you rolled around in dirt – but pigs are the smartest and nicest animals I know.” For the rest of her life she collected pig paintings, drawings and sculptures, all of which filled her homes. A woman of great curiosity about the world, Sara was an avid reader and a born adventurer. She traveled extensively for decades, and was one of the first people to visit China in 1978 as the closed society opened its doors to westerners. A loving wife, mother, “Nanny” to her many grandchildren, and good friend, she was wise, generous, honest, upbeat, and fun – with a wicked sense of humor that made her unforgettable to everyone she met. An indomitable character with a big heart, she will be greatly missed by many. She is survived by her children Mary (Brian) Ginter, Charles (Gia) Haines, Susan (Anthony) Cunningham, and Aubrey (Suzie) Haines; adored and adoring grandchildren, Tristan, Katherine, Melissa, Jonathan, Keith, Kim, Alec, Tessa, Sara, Anneke, Ernest, Antony, Charles and Albert; a sister, Mary Mansell and brother, Robert Bowman. Burial was private. A memorial service will be held on September 12th at 11 am at the Trinity Church in Moorestown NJ. Gifts in her memory can be made to Samaritan Hospice, 5 Eves Drive, Suite 300, Marlton, NJ 08053 or Trinity Episcopal Church 207 West Main Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057.