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MADISON - Dorothy Haines (nee Dorothy Lou Browne) passed peacefully on Earth Day, April 22, 2024, in Madison, Wis. She was born on Jan. 3, 1922, in Twin Falls, Idaho, to Marshall F. and Vera Browne, long-time Wisconsin natives who shortly thereafter returned to Madison.

Dorothy attributes her life-long love of birds, wildlife and canoeing to her parents’ purchase of an undeveloped, tree covered lot for a cabin and boathouse in what later became Monona in about 1938, after which she saved her baby-sitting money to buy her first canoe.

Dorothy graduated from Madison East High School in 1939 and then attended the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism, becoming the first woman editor of the University newspaper, "The Daily Cardinal," and graduated in 1943. She married Leonard Haines that same year after he obtained his law degree from the UW Law School and they moved to Whitewater, Wis. They had two sons, Jeffrey (1945) and Randy (1948), before Leonard passed in 1953. Dorothy and her sons returned to Madison where she went to work for her father’s East Side Print Shop (later Impressions, Inc.) which also published the "East Side News," of which Dorothy was the editor. Ultimately Dorothy’s brother, Marshall “Bud” Browne Jr., ran the family business with Dorothy as Vice President.

Dorothy was always an avid canoer and enjoyed hiking and camping with her boys. Their first big car camping trip was to the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone when the boys were only 10 and 13. They spent each night camping in her parents’ old canvas wall tent that required three people to raise and stake out.

She was active in the East Side Women’s Club and was named their Woman of the Year in 1964. She moved to Monona in 1969 and became active in its Landmarks Commission, the Monona Heritage Foundation, and the Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society. Her love of history and journalism combined in several years’ research and writing of the book “Monona in the Making,” published in 1999, for which she was awarded the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Local History Award of Merit. She became active with the International Crane Foundation and the Madison Audubon Society. When Mud Lake’s bird and waterfowl habitat was threatened by the construction of the Beltline Highway, she became one of the founders of what became the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and published their newsletter on her basement mimeograph machine.

Dorothy spent many days volunteering at the Madison Audubon Society’s Goose Pond Sanctuary, especially in setting up spotting scopes for visitors and in editing its newsletter, for which she was awarded the Audubon Society’s James Zimmerman Award of Excellence in Environmental Education and Communication in 2008. Her love of birds, wildlife and camping adventures expanded far beyond Wisconsin in trips to Africa, China, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, and a 10-day raft trip on the Colorado River with her son, Randy, and his wife, Kathy.

Although she loved nature, education and travel her heart always belonged to Wisconsin and her Browne family, including both its ancestors dating back to the 1500s and its extensive current and future progeny. In her family life Dorothy was an important hostess, mentor, advisor and family historian. She hosted delicious extended family dinners, often based on her mother’s recipes, taught everyone how to make home-made ice cream from a 19th century family recipe, and contributed support to the secondary education of a number of nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and nephews.

Dorothy is survived by her son, Randy (Kathy) Haines of Arizona; and nieces and nephews, Ken (Roberta) Smith of Monona, Wis., Mark F. Browne of Cheyenne, Wy., Brad (Cindy) Browne of Allen, Texas, Ned Smith of Tustin, Calif., Sally (Steve) Hodge of DeForest, Wis., and Clarke Smith of Las Vegas, Nev. She was preceded in death by her son, Jeffrey Haines; and niece, Polly Browne of Mankato, Minn.

A celebration of life will be held at the NATHANIEL AND HARRIETT DEAN HOUSE, 4718 Monona Drive, Madison, from 11 a. m. until 1 p.m., with a time of sharing at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Goodman (Atwood) Community Center, the Goose Pond Sanctuary Fund of the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly known as Madison Audubon Society), or the Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420

Dorothy Lou Haines

January 03, 1922 - April 22, 2024

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