George "Gabby" Hayes

George Warren Haynes, 87, of Great Falls, a military veteran and retired laborer, died of natural causes Monday, September 26, 2011, at a local hospital. Services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, October 3, 2011, at Schnider Funeral Home.Gabby was born September 20, 1924, in Taber, Alberta, Canada, to Ellen Dolly (Whitelock) and Warren Haynes. He married Barbara J. Ruegg in 1951 in Great Falls and together they had four children, Debi (Jerry) Dunst, Dennis (Kathy) Haynes, Leo (Tamara) Haynes and Stacey (Pete) Rowe, all of whom survive him. Additional survivors include five grandchildren, Vito, Josh, Justin, Trevor and Samantha; three great-grandchildrenAddisyn, Vito and Abigail; and six stepchildren, Logan, Zach, Dylan, and Cole Mendenhall and Billie and Eric Swensgard.He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a navigator and flew several bombing missions while in London during WWII.Gabby was an avid hunter and also loved to fish, therefore a lot of family vacations were camping trips, which nearly always meant having trout for breakfast. Dad always said, There is nothing better than lying under the stars at night, but his first love was hockey. As a young man he skated on ice ponds with his friend after he was done with chores on the farm. After the war he was invited to try out for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but had not been on skates while in the war, so you could say he was a little rusty on the ice. Later, he was a defenseman with the Great Falls Americans and in 1954 they won the championship. He continued to play hockey until he was in his 60s.He participated in the Foster Grandparents program through Chief Joseph School, and was instrumental in shaping the lives of young people who were lucky enough to have known him.Gabby was preceded in death by his former wife, Barbara J. Haynes-Walker; his parents; his sister, Kay Price; and a daughter-in-law, Teresa Terry (Heard) Haynes.In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Great Falls Community Ice Foundation, P.O. Box 2869, Great Falls, MT 59405.