Gary Leroy Haynes

Gary Leroy (Best) Haynes of Shawnee, Oklahoma, passed away Friday, March 15, 2024, after a lengthy battle with COPD, emphysema, and complex heart disease.  He was born on August 20, 1970, in Marietta, Ohio, to Gerald and Mary (McGrew) Best.

Gary spent his early childhood playing along the banks of the Ohio River.  At the age of 10 years, he was placed into foster care due to family problems.  Within a year, he was adopted by Chester and Barbara Haynes and moved to Oklahoma.  After he graduated from Blackwell High School in 1989, he went directly into the Army Reserves.  He later enlisted fulltime in the United States Army and was honorably discharged in 1995.  Gary returned to Blackwell and worked various construction jobs, and most recently, he was a field hand for a surveying company.

In 1996, Gary married Brandi Bennett, and a son and three daughters were born during this union.   In 2010, he reconnected with his soul mate, Theresa Lane Lockwood, and they were married in 2015 and had many happy years together.

Gary was preceded in death by his biological parents, Gerald and Mary; adoptive father, Chet; son, A.J.; father-in-law, Byron Lockwood; brother, Dana Best, and an infant sister.

Gary is survived by his wife, Theresa; adoptive mother, Barbara; beloved mother-in-law, Jolene; daughters: Kymberly, Katelin, and Stephanie; bonus children: Mandy Baker, Deziral Godsey, KC Cox, Alex Horton, and Kay Lynn Bellamy; adoptive siblings, Tina and Tim; biological siblings, Robert Best and Janice Haas; numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.  He had a multitude of friends who were more like family and just too many to name.