David Marshall Haines, 71, passed away at home on June 5, 2026 after a sudden illness. He was a resident of Chesapeake, Virginia. 

“Dave” was born on August 29, 1954 in Kingston, Pennsylvania, the third child of the late George Kulp Haines, Sr. and Rosanna DeFreeze Ryan Haines. He was Valedictorian of his graduating class at Lake Lehman High School, Lehman Township, Pennsylvania in 1972, an achievement which helped earn him an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. In 1976 Dave graduated from the Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in English and was commissioned an Ensign. He completed Basic Surface Warfare School in Newport, Rhode Island and went to sea. 

Dave’s sea duty assignments included tours on USS O’Callahan (FF 1051), USS Mullinix (DD 944), and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Shore tours included an assignment to Maritime Forces Atlantic, the Royal Canadian Navy headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada through the Military Personnel Exchange Program; instructor duty at Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Training Center San Diego; and Shore Operations Officer at Commander Naval Base Pearl Harbor (now part of U.S. Navy Region Hawaii). 

Dave retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander in September 1994. His military awards include the Navy Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal with one Bronze Star, Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon, and National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star. He was a qualified Surface Warfare Officer and was entitled to wear the Navy and Marine Corps Basic Parachutist insignia, signifying five successful parachute jumps.

In more recent years Dave worked for Lockheed Martin as a technical writer, developing critically important operational and safety Standard Operating Procedures for the U.S. Coast Guard. He retired from Lockheed Martin in 2019.

Dave was gifted with a wonderful singing voice, which he gladly shared with others through participation in the Barbershop Harmony Society. He was a member of two popular quartets, “Land, Sea, and Air” in Knoxville, Tennessee, and “3dB” in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. 

For many years Dave was an active Freemason, following in his father’s and older brother, George’s, footsteps. He was a past Master of The Lodge of St. Mark #38, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

He was a confirmed member of Maple Grove United Methodist Church, Pikes Creek, Pennsylvania.

Dave is survived by his wife, Selena Hernandez-Haines; daughter, Angelina Haines; mother-in-law, Barbara Beckley of Jacksonville, FL;  sister-in-law, Dolores Lane (Melvin) of Gainesville, FL; sisters, Karen Whitaker and Eileen Sholtis (Tom); brother, Paul Haines (Kim), and sister-in-law, Donna Haines, all of northeast Pennsylvania; nieces, Heather Whitaker and Angel Haines; nephews, Ryan Whitaker, Brady Sholtis, Michael Haines, and David Haines; and many Ryan and Haines cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, George Kulp Haines, Sr. and Rosanna DeFreeze Ryan Haines; stepmother Ann Morgan Haines; older brother, George Haines, Jr.; younger brother, Joseph Haines and his wife, Barbara, and two sisters who passed in infancy, Rosanne and Kathleen.

The U.S. Navy was the great love of Dave’s life, in recognition of which he will receive Navy Burial at Sea. 

The family extends its deepest appreciation to the Cremation Society of Virginia for the staff’s caring assistance at this difficult time.