Tim,

Thank you for letting us know about your uncle's passing. This is indeed sad news. I loved reading his posts - his advice was on target and very informative. He will be deeply missed.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time.

peace,
Travelribbion

My condolences. I always found his posts useful and entertaining. I've always had this picture in my head of Mr. Haines on a bicycle, for some reason! He will be missed.

~Liz

To the Haines Family:

We were lucky and blessed to have known our dear Ben. He was a kind and generous soul and offered so much assistance to others.

Thank you Tim for posting this news, as well as his picture and his bio. He will be sadly missed by our Fodor's family.

It's been a long time since I've visited this site. To return and see this first message is heartbreaking and a loss to all travelers. Ben was always a gentle man who took joy in sharing his knowledge. My thoughts are with his family. Be assured the goodbyes are only temporary.

Thank you for sharing this sad news, Tim. Though I never sought his advice, I felt that your Uncle was like the wise and kindly father of this forum. A life well lived - he made an impact around the world.

I think no greater compliment can be made to a person than that he is remembered only for his: 1)kindliness 2)helpfulness, and 3)courteous. Always a gentleman, he was. It would have been an honor to know him.

I am so sorry to hear of your uncle's death. He always had time to give wonderful and helpful advice. He will be missed.

My deepest sympathies. Ben Haines always provided excellent touring advice, a man that truly knew his country and had a wonderful way of sharing it with others. He was really a great guy. Warmest personal regards for the Haines family.

To the memory of Mr Haines, may I share some of his notes:

As we know, Mr Haines had very diversified life experiences; once, about some lectures in London, he wrote:
"As often, what the meeting saw as history, I saw as autobiography."

About a verse: " Whose soul is still prepared for death", he wrote:
"Yes, but this is not hard, life has been great, the next will be better again."

While talking about Thomas More, he wrote:
"So, it is going to be interesting to meet him."

Once, he wrote:
"As I swin against the flood of so-called news in so-called newspapers..."

My condolences to the family of Mr. Haines; he was a true gentleman and affected so many lives in a wonderful way. Peace be with you.

Tim,

It was so kind of you to post here. Ben's posts were one of those things you could count on for both accuracy and just the pleasure of reading them.

I really appreciated that quote of Leviticus under his photo. A good philosophy for all of us.

Tim,

I would like to add my condolences to the many already posted here. Mr. Haines was indeed a true gentleman.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Patricia

My condolences also. A wonderful writer and clearly an interesting and warm man.

I would like to add my condolences to those posted here, in way those of us who write often, then to care and respect others, Tim Haines was someone whose opinion was always valuable, a true gentleman. I always loved to read his postings and to learn from him.

Dear Tim, What a wonderful, kindly gentleman. Mr. Haines helped me several times. Especially, herding my duckies through Gatwick. After reading about him on these post one must say, "What an amazing life he must have had."
How lucky ya'll were to have him for an uncle. We are so sorry to hear of his passing. Sharon

It was suggested on another thread that anyone wishing to make a donation in Ben's name may send a contribution to his church.

St Catherine's Church
102 Pepys Road
London SE14

I was able to send a small donation in £ using my XETrade account.

Dear Tim,

We're going to England and Wales in about a month, and I've enjoyed reading many of Ben's informative posts about London. He was truly a gentleman, and will be greatly missed. I am sorry for your family's loss.

Lee Ann

Oh my goodness, what a shock. I am very saddened to hear the news. Although I never met Ben in person, I feel as though I'm loosing a friend.

His posts were always a pleasure to read. He was such a gentleman and such a huge help to those asking for advice.
I remember a few years ago, he helped me with train schedules and I felt so honoured to be receiving emails from him.

He will be missed so much.

Mr. Tim Haines,

My sincere condolonces for your family's loss. As you can tell from this post, your uncle was truly loved. He helped me out on numerous occasions, even personally emailing me.

He was a true gentleman.

dfotravels

What can I say, what a sad news... I have read all 178 posts ahead of mine, and I do not need to further comments on Mr Haines contribution.
Although I am a relatively new poster to this forum, I have always had tremendous admiration for the wealth of his knowledge and his gentlemanliness. London has lost one of its splended gems.

Please rest in peace, Mr Haines. Maybe you're already wornking on compiling more helpful information, this time on heaven.