04/12/2026
Donald Raye ‘Donnie’ Haines was born September 18, 1937 in Sharon, Ks. to Oscar and Betty (Cagle) Haines and passed from this life January 30, 2026 at the age of 88. Donnie was 4 when the family moved to Follett, Tx. This is where Donnie learned to ride horses and operate farm equipment.
Donnie was well-loved by his family, who especially loved the stories he would tell. In 1945, when Donnie was 8, the family was on a Colorado vacation riding a trolley car on Pike’s Peak when World War II ended… and the trolley erupted in whoops and hollers! That same year, Donnie was helping his dad in the fields. When they would come to a corner in the field, Donnie would step back so his dad could turn the tractor around the corner. One of the times he stepped back, his dad had stepped off and was standing on the previous corner. Donnie was left to turn the tractor around the corner by himself, which was no easy task, since the tractor did not have power steering. Donnie said ‘I made a real wide turn and dad was upset because I messed up the furrow of the field.’
Donnie also told of the time when he was about 10 he had gotten a new rope for his birthday and he wanted to try and rope a cow off of his horse. He went across the road and there were several mama cows and baby calves. So Donnie rode up to the cows and threw his rope and caught a baby calf. As soon as he did, the calf started bawling and all the cows turned towards Donnie and his horse. Donnie said ‘I undallied and let the new rope go. I wasn’t about to get off my horse and take the rope off the calf.’
When Donnie was a teenager he began to take camping trips with Jimmy Plain to Wolf Creek. They would harness a couple of horses and hook them up to the wagon, tie their saddle horses to the wagon and off they would go. Donnie always said those were some of the best times he ever had.
After his freshman year of high school, he was introduced to the Ponca Military Academy known as PMA. Donnie went to PMA starting the beginning of his sophomore year. He began as a private and by the time he graduated, he was a second lieutenant. After Christmas break of his junior year, he left PMA and went back to school in Follett. Ed Frazier, Follet’s Superintendent, informed Donnie that he would not be allowed to play football because he hadn’t attended school there the entire year. Donnie really wanted to graduate with his classmates, but he also really wanted to play football. So his senior year, he went back to PMA to play football and graduate. He was also proud of his time in the drum and bugle core where he played the drums. After graduating in 1956, Donnie returned to PMA to visit some of his friends that were underclassmen. That weekend affected him the rest of his life. Donnie and one of his friends, Kenny, went to a bar and got drunk. Donnie talked Kenny into letting him drive his brand new 1957 Chevrolet car. It was raining and the pavement was wet. Donnie lost control and hit a cement bridge. At the hospital, doctors told Kenny, Donnie’s outlook was grim and they wheeled his gurney into the hall and covered Donnie with a sheet. Kenny called Oscar and Betty and told them. Betty and Oscar immediately began to pray. While they were praying, a nurse walked by and noticed the sheet moving where Donnie lay. She realized he had bit his tongue and that was what was causing all the bleeding. She packed his tongue and saved his life. He also damaged his hip, and that bothered him the rest of his life.
In the fall of 1957, Donnie attended the Apostolic Faith Bible College. In the spring of 1962, Donnie met Frankie and they married August 6th of that year. Frankie had three children from a previous marriage: Margie (1954), Duane (1956), and Theresa ‘Sam’ (1958) Together, Donnie and Frankie had Rene (1963) and Donna (1969). In 1965, Donnie took the test to become a propane dealer. In 1968, he took over the management of the Phillips 66 station until 1972. At that time, Donnie and Frankie took over the Royal Inn Restaurant. They sold the restaurant in 1976 and started farming and ranching full time. In 1985, Donnie started a water well service where he worked on wells and windmills. When Donnie graduated high school, he wondered what he would be doing in 30 years. Coincidentally, exactly 30 years later, Donnie was holding his grandson, Daniel, for the first time.
Donnie is survived by his son Duane and wife Jody (Ho**er, Ok), daughter Theresa ‘Sam’ (El Reno, Ok), son Rene and wife Pam (Hennessey, Ok), daughter Donna (Ulyssess, Ks), grandchildren Sara, Amy, Daniel, Samantha, Emily, Carly, and Dylan, and 16 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar and Betty; his wife
Frankie; sisters, Lois, Betty Jean, and Barbara; brother, Bobby Joe; daughter, Margie; and son-in-law, Brian.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Follett Volunteer Fire Department in Don Haines name.
There will be a memorial service for Don at the Follett Chapel, April 17, 2026 at 11am. Internment will be directly following at the Follett Cemetery.
