Haynes Lee

Haynes Lee, patriarch of a loving family and a man of many talents and interests, died on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. He was 93. He is survived by his devoted wife of 65 years, Marge Lee, and his children Sandi (Chip) Towns, Steve (Sandy) Lee, and Scott (Jeanie) Lee. Also surviving are six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by one granddaughter and one great-grandson. Haynes was a glass scientist, a boater, an avid bridge player, a tax preparer, and a community volunteer. He died while walking down the hall to play bridge at Ohio Living Swan Creek, where he and Marge had lived since 2022. Haynes Alexander Lee, Jr., was born October 14, 1932, in Johnson City, Tenn. He was the son of Haynes Alexander Lee and Pauline Elizabeth Cooke, who divorced when he was about 4. Haynes lived with his mother until she died when he was 7. After that he was raised by his father and his paternal grandmother, Jetta Boyer Lee. These were tumultuous years, with Haynes having three stepmothers and changing schools frequently. He spent 11th grade at Columbia (Tenn.) Military Academy, where he was on the baseball team and played saxophone in the band, which marched in the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. He graduated from Bazine (Kansas) High School in 1950. His third stepmother made him leave home when he graduated, so he hitchhiked to his paternal grandmother's home in Newport, Tenn. She agreed to help finance his college expenses, and he chose Emory and Henry College in Emory, Va. He was a member of Beta Lambda Zeta fraternity, played saxophone in the band and learned to play bridge. He graduated with a degree in mathematics in 1954 and joined the Army so he could qualify for the GI Bill. He served in the Army Security Agency in Germany and was able to travel all over Europe before being discharged in 1957. He decided to get a master's degree at Alfred University in Alfred, NY, because he was told it was "the best Glass Technology department in the world." While standing in line to enroll, he noticed an attractive woman also waiting in line and started talking to her. He and Marge married a year later. After graduating in 1961, he went to work for Thatcher Glass in Elmira, NY. In 1963, he moved to Toledo to work as a glass scientist at Owens-Illinois. He and Marge bought a house in Sylvania and joined Epworth United Methodist Church, where Haynes spent many years serving on committees and in leadership positions. Haynes and Marge became very involved in the boating community. Haynes served two terms as Commander of the Toledo Power Squadron in 2000 and 2004, where he also served as treasurer, taught courses, and conducted vessel-safety checks. He also piloted a tour boat on Swan Creek and the Maumee, and for six years he operated the water taxi that shuttled people from downtown Toledo to the restaurants at The Docks. One April, he was working on his wooden boat at Bay View Yacht Club and fell from the scaffolding, breaking three vertebrae and six ribs. Nobody was around to help him, so he drove himself to the hospital. He earned his pilot's license and was a member of a club in which members shared a single-engine plane. Later, he got his instrument license and flew the family to visit relatives in New York, Kansas, and elsewhere. He was elected to the Sylvania School Board in 1978 but became disillusioned with the process and did not run for re-election. At Owens-Illinois, he was president of the O-I employee club, the Technical Center Onized Club in 1967. In 1970, he became Chief Laser Scientist in the Consumer and Technical Products Group. He later became General Manager of Laser Products and General Manager of Optical Products. His group worked on glass used in ceramic stovetops, giant telescopes, and classified products for the U.S. government. He was the holder of eight patents on glass laser and luminescent compositions. In 1981, Haynes resigned from O-I and became general manager of the Laser Institute of America, establishing its offices in Sylvania. He served on - and was chairman of - the Area Council for Technology. After leaving the Laser Institute in 1988, he earned his captain's license and delivered boats to and from Florida, the east coast and elsewhere, with Marge often serving as his first mate. In the winter, he prepared tax returns, which he enjoyed doing into his 90s. He spent two years as the comptroller for a local construction company, was treasurer and president of his condo association, and devoted lots of time and energy to the Western Lake Erie Historical Society. He organized bridge games at the Sylvania Senior Center for many years. He also served as treasurer, vice president, and president of the center's participants council. In 2022, the senior center planted a tree in his honor. In recent years, he played bridge three days a week - at Swan Creek, the Maumee Senior Center and the Toledo Bridge Center. And for the last few decades, he used the scientific part of his brain to perfect a recipe for chocolate fudge, which his children looked forward to receiving at Christmas each year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Marge Lee STEM Scholarship (2402050) at the University of Toledo. Details of a memorial service, tentatively planned for November 13, are pending.

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Haynes Lee

October 14, 1932 - October 29, 2025