'Taps' for a trooper

Hundreds turn out for MHP funeral

A somber phalanx of green- and black-clad Montana Highway Patrol troopers stood rigidly at attention Tuesday afternoon over the flag-draped casket of slain trooper Mike Haynes.

Strains of "Amazing Grace" rose from a set of bagpipes and toiled through the turbulent and snow-spotted air as Montana Highway Patrol commander Col. Mike Tooley handed that flag - carefully taken from the casket and folded by white-gloved troopers - to Haynes' widow, Tawny.

The patrol's honor guard lifted their rifles and at a barked command fired into the air, following the salute with the mournful cadence of a trumpet playing "Taps."

Out of the silence, a ceremonial last call broadcast statewide burst from the radio of a nearby patrol car.

"All units and stations, clear the radio for a moment of silence in honor of our fallen friend," crackled the dispatcher's voice, identifying Haynes by his badge number.

"159, Kalispell Direct. Status check."

There was no answer.

"159, Kalispell Direct. Status check."

Again, there was no answer.

"Copy 159. You're now off shift and en route to the place your Heavenly Father has prepared for you."

Haynes, 28, died Friday at Kalispell Regional Medical Center from injuries suffered in the line of duty during a March 23 collision with a drunk driver south of Kalispell.

According to investigators, Haynes was southbound on U.S. 93 north of Somers at about 2:40 a.m. when a car traveling northbound in the southbound lanes struck the trooper's marked cruiser head-on.

"Mike was a great man, and he led a great life," said Tooley during Haynes' memorial service Tuesday at the Christian Center Assembly of God Church in Kalispell. "In his 28 years he lived more than most people do in 80."

Hundreds of people - including sheriff's deputies from counties across Montana, police from cities large and small, Highway Patrol troopers from neighboring states, federal law enforcement officers and firefighters - attended Haynes' funeral and the subsequent graveside service at Glacier Memorial Gardens.

With emergency lights flashing, police motorcycles led a procession north on U.S. 93 that stretched the entire route from church to cemetery.

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders of Montana motorcycle organization lined the cemetery's entrance, holding large American flags.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch and Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock stood behind members of the fallen trooper's family as mourners placed red roses on Haynes' casket.

During the funeral, Haynes was remembered as a kind, loving, energetic and thoughtful man dedicated to his Christian faith.

Also remembered as a man of honor and humility, Haynes is survived by his wife, Tawny; his two young children, Taryn, 3, and Elias, 16 months; and his parents, John and Melody Haynes of Kalispell.

"He impacted my life, and I'm a better man because of it," said Haynes' brother-in-law, Jamison Wing.

Wing shared with mourners stories of fishing trips he took with Haynes, few of which resulted in any great catch. On one trip to Libby Dam, Haynes was pulled over by a patrolman because of a problem with the boat and trailer he was hauling.

"Later he said to us, 'Man, these sneaky patrolmen, they use cover real well,'" Wing said. Haynes later would become one of those 'sneaky patrolmen" protecting drivers on Montana's highways.

Other fishing trips were to the place Haynes later proposed to his wife of five years and to the Old Steel Bridge in Evergreen, Wing said.

"I was impressed by Mike's demeanor, his kind smile," Wing said. "He was a man of few words … but he was always in perpetual motion, for some reason."

Wing urged mourners to "be like Mike: selfless, hope-filled and just a positive person to be around."

Matthew Haynes remembered his brother as a lover of games who excelled at whatever he did.

"He gave his all no matter what he did, and he was good at it," Matthew Haynes said. "He was a hero, and he died a hero."

Haynes served in Iraq with the Montana Army National Guard before he became a trooper in 2006.

"This wasn't just a job to Mike. He had a purpose," Tooley said. "Mike chose to stand guard over us, as a trooper and a soldier."

John Haynes, Mike's father, also praised his son's life of service to God, country and the people of Montana.

"That was what my son was, a servant," he said.

Rev. Jim Davey read from statements prepared by members of Haynes' family who did not speak during the funeral.

"Mike was a gentle, kind, loyal and tenderhearted young man. If you weren't his friend, it's only because he hadn't met you," wrote Haynes' mother, Melody Haynes.

Haynes' wife, Tawny, wrote of the great love between her and her husband, a "kind and gentle soul hiding behind that quietness."

Haynes, a 2000 graduate of Flathead High School, was the seventh trooper to die in the line of duty in the Highway Patrol's 74-year history. After 30 years with no fatalities, the patrol has lost three troopers in the line of duty in the last 18 months, all from head-on collisions on Flathead Valley highways.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com