Vanessa Irene Smith Haynes

Vanessa Irene Smith Haynes, 65, of Warren, Ohio, passed away on March 10, 2026, at University Hospital Main Campus following complications from an extended illness.

Born on September 16, 1960, in Warren, she was the daughter of Frank and Sarah Davis Smith. A proud graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School in 1978, Vanessa later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Kent State University in 2010. She dedicated thirty years of her career to TCAP as a Family Advocate before retiring in 2004.

Vanessa was a longtime member of the Alpha & Omega Seventh Day Adventist Church. She found joy in fishing, crafts, cooking, traveling, and watching Judge Judy and Joel Osteen. She married Roosevelt Virgil Haynes III on March 2, 1983; he preceded her in death on May 28, 2024.

She is survived by two sons, Roosevelt Virgil Haynes IV of Warren and Rawshean Haynes of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; two daughters, Terri Smith of Warren and Tamika Smith of Columbus, Ohio; one brother, Frank (Caprina) Smith Jr. of Warren; two sisters, Teresa (Alphonso) Streeter of Warren and Francietta Smith, who was raised as a daughter; one stepbrother, Emmett Williams of Warren; one stepsister, Ernestine (Marlon) Jones of Greenville, Pennsylvania; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and the niece she helped raise, Latresa Dorsey of Mentor, Ohio. She also leaves a nephew, Jimmy Ray Stella Jr. of Warren; a cousin, Stacey Thornton of Columbus; her best friend, Marie Komora of Warren; and a host of other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, one son Virgil Haynes, one brother Derwin Cotton, one sister Wakeelah Smith, one grandchild Jermaine Smith, and one niece Vontisue Patterson. A private burial will be held at Oakwood Cemetery.