Donald "Donnie" Haynes Jr.

Donald “Donnie” Haynes, Jr., 80, of McMullen County, Texas, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2026, just two days before his 81st birthday. Born on March 14, 1945, Donnie was a fourth-generation rancher who spent his earliest years on the family ranch in and around Cross. Raised alongside his grandparents, he inherited from “Moms and Papa” a deep love of the land, ranch life, and hunting. Long before he had a driver’s license, he would drive his grandparents around the ranch, a memory he often recalled with a smile, including the story of receiving a ticket at age 12 for doing so.

A gifted athlete, Donnie played baseball as a catcher in Little League, Senior League, and American Legion ball. He graduated from Pleasanton High School in 1963, where he marched in the band and starred as an offensive lineman on the football team. He went on to Texas A&I University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1967. After graduation, he taught eighth-grade math and served as assistant football coach at Pleasanton Junior High. He proudly served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1970. Upon returning home, Donnie joined his father in the family tax and accounting business at the ranch in Cross, a practice he continued nearly until the end of his life. In 1990 he was elected McMullen County Treasurer and served with distinction from 1991 until his retirement in 2010.

A lifelong member of Tilden Baptist Church since 1959, Donnie quietly handled the church’s accounting and tax services for decades, offering the same steady support to his faith community that he gave to his county and his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Rose Mary Haynes, and his grandparents, Tom and Mary Franklin and Roy and Myrtle Haynes.

Donnie is survived by his sister, Mary Catherine Kessler and her husband Dan; his niece, Caitrin Johnson and her husband Todd; his nephew, Marty Soward and his wife Casey; great-nieces Cailyn Alderete (Zack), Nikki Milano (Mark), Terryn Soward, Roselyn Johnson, Adelyn Johnson, Madison Sherrer, Makenzie Sherrer, and Masyn Sherrer; great-nephew Martin “Donnie” Soward, Jr.; and great-great-nephew Zaiden Alderete. He loved watching McMullen County High School volleyball and basketball, cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, following NASCAR, riding through the pasture to check on his beloved Brahman cattle, and rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Above all, he cherished his family, his ranch, and the simple joy of being outdoors. His quiet service and deep roots in McMullen County soil leave a legacy that will be remembered by all who knew him.