William Haynes, a beloved school music teacher and community band leader, died Saturday. He was 53.
Haynes, a resident of Sandy Springs, was killed in an apparent carjacking at a Sandy Springs storage rental facility.
Bill Haynes was a music and drama teacher at E. Rivers Elementary, an Atlanta public school located in Buckhead. He was also director of The Alpharetta City Band, an adult community band.
Read and sign the online guestbook for Bill Haynes
Haynes came to E. Rivers Elementary 16 months ago from Fulton County Schools,, where he was band director at Creekview Elementary in Alpharetta. He formerly was the founding band director at Centennial High School in Roswell, and was band director and teacher at Hardaway High School in Columbus, Ga., according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
Update: Funeral for Bill Haynes will be in Bowling Green, Ky, 11 a.m. Tuesday Dec. 27, at J.C. Kirby & Sons Chapel, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.
In lieu of flowers, the newspaper said, contributions can be made to the Bill Haynes Memorial Horn Fund at American Bank and Trust, 1302 Scottsville Road, P.O. Box 688, Bowling Green, KY 42102-0688.
Friends described Haynes as a generous man.
"If somebody had said give me your car keys, he would've given them the car keys," Alpharetta band program supervisor Don Nahser told Channel 2 Action News. "He would go out of his way to help you."
Haynes was honored in social media posts, including this video of school children singing at E. Rivers Elementary.
Reaction came also from Alpharetta City Band, which performed most recently in a Dec. 4 holiday concert at Alpharetta North Park.
Haynes and Flowery Branch Mayor Mike Miller were friends.
"I read and hear everyday about senseless violence, but it is overwhelming when it hits home and someone you knew and considered a friend is involved," Miller said in a Facebook post.
"R.I.P. Bill. I will see you again one day in heaven, but the euphonium section up there is sounding a little better today."
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