Rose Mary HaynesFree Access


Rose Mary Franklin Haynes, 97, passed away on Friday, December 22, 2017 in Floresville, Texas. Rose Mary was born in Jourdanton, Texas on Friday, December 3, 1920 to Tom Franklin and Mary Burmeister Franklin. She started school at the San Miguel School in Cross, then moved to Pleasanton to go to high school. Rose Mary graduated from Pleasanton High School in 1937 and recently celebrated her 80th class reunion. 

Rose Mary attended “The University” of Texas, where she was a member of the sorority, Gamma Phi Beta and attended the University Baptist Church. She graduated from “The University” in 1942 and remained an active alumni for many years.

She started her teaching career in Cross at the San Miguel School. During that time she decided to join the United States Navy and was stationed in California where she met her husband, Donald Haynes and was married on 24 June 1944. At the end of her enlistment she taught school in Tilden.

After WWII she, Donald and Donald, Jr. moved to Kingsville where she got her Master’s in Education from Texas A&I University.

In 1953, Rose Mary, Donald, Donald Jr. and Mary Catherine moved to Pleasanton where she taught with Pleasanton ISD until her retirement in 1985. Rose Mary taught for 34 years, loved her pupils and remembered every single one of them by name.

Rose Mary enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, great grandchildren and her sister, Charlie. She and Charlie spent countless hours visiting, reading, doing crossword puzzles, watching movies and yelling at the news channels.

She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Tilden, Texas for 59 years and drove to church in Tilden every Sunday until September of 2017 and surrendered her driver’s license on her 97th birthday.

Rose Mary is survived by her two children, Donald Haynes, Jr. of Cross and Mary Catherine Haynes Kessler and husband Dan of Jourdanton and two grandchildren, Martin Donald Soward and wife Casey of Cross and Caitrin Josette Soward Johnson and husband Todd of Floresville.

Additionally, there are five great grandchildren, Cailyn Jayne Lopez of San Antonio, Martin Donald Soward, Jr. of San Marcos, Terryn Elizabeth Soward of San Antonio, Roselyn Lucy-Kate Johnson and Adelyn Marie Johnson of Floresville; nephews Joseph William Austin, III of Lafayette, Louisiana, Thomas Murray Austin, Sr. of Uvalde, John Charles Austin of San Antonio; niece, Mary Ellen Melville of San Antonio and two great nieces and three great nephews and lots of former students. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Haynes; parents, Tom and Mary Franklin, and sister, Charlie Ann Franklin Austin.

Pallbearers are Christopher Lopez, Ernest Lopez, Jr., Thomas Austin, Jr., Clayton Kessler, Dustin Meredith and James Spencer.

Visitation will be held Friday, December 29, 2017 from 2:00 PM until 9:00 PM, family to be present from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Hurley Funeral Home, 118 W. Oaklawn Road in Pleasanton. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 2:00 PM at Hurley Funeral Home in Pleasanton. Interment will follow in San Miguel Cemetery in Cross.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the South Texas Children’s Home, PO Box 1210, Beeville, Texas 78104-1210.

Anyone wishing to sign the guestbook, share memories or issue condolences to the family may do so at www.hurleyfuneralhome.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *