Hiltha Jean (Bridges) Haines

Celebration of Life

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”  Galatians 6:9

Hiltha Jean Haines was born October 12, 1920 to Reuben and Jeanette Bridges in Kansas City, Kansas.  She was the eldest of seven children.  Her parents, husband and four brothers, Norman, Reuben, Richard and Ossie preceded her in death.

She lived her early years in Kansas City, Kansas where she attended Douglass Elementary School and Northeast Junior High.  

Later Hiltha Jean continued her education in Texas, where she attended Yates Colored High School in Houston, Texas and Emmett J. Scott High School in Tyler, Texas before returning to Kansas City, Kansas in the late 1930s.

On September 8, 1938, Hiltha Jean united in marriage to Delmas Duncan Haines. No children were born to this union. They were married for 63 years before he preceded her in death on September 28, 2001.

Hiltha Jean worked at Folgers Coffee Company.  She was the first black person to work as a Shirt Boxer for Coronet Shirt and Robe Factory.  In later years, she worked as a companion to a wealthy woman until retirement in 1988.

She is the only charter member of the Veledas Social Club, and a member of the American Bridge Association. She was active with the Sumner Class of 1938.

Hiltha Jean united with Christ on August 12, 1928 at Eighth Street Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. D.B. Jackson.  She was a member for 87 years.  She was an active member until her health prevented her from attending. She was a past president of Ruth Circle, choir member in the Imperial Choir, and a member of Sunday School Class #2.  She also served as a pastor aide and served on the church beautification committee.

She loved her church and was a mentor to many young women who sought her advice and to whom she gave spiritual counsel and encouragement. In honor of her, one of the young women’s ministries at Eighth Street Baptist was renamed the “Hiltha Jean Haines Circle.” She was a caring and unselfish individual whose positive influence extended beyond the church walls into the lives of many with whom she came in contact.

Hiltha Jean departed this life on August 14, 2015. She leaves to cherish her memory: Her sisters, Lavena Fields of Detroit, Michigan; Zenobia Hardy of Highland Park, Michigan; a devoted and dedicated niece, Phyllis Brewer, Kansas City, KS; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends including Denise and Marion Jordon, Sr. whom she “adopted”.

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