Only a week previously Mr. Hains had been taken with fainting spells while down town attending to business affairs and had been taken to the hospital on Monday, suffering from a complication of ailments, aggravated by an attack of pneumonia, but he had seemingly recovered in fine shape and was considering being returned to his home within a few days, when Saturday evening he took a sudden turn for the worse and within a couple of hours had passed away. He was conscious until only about ten minutes before he died and seemed to fully realize the gravity of his condition.

At the time of his death Mr. Hains was aged 80 years, 10 months and 16 days, and he had lived a busy, a useful, well-spent and helpful life. He was a son of George C. and Elizabeth McCort Hains, and was born at Temperance, Ohio, February 25, 1866. Later the family moved to Fauquier County, Va., where they resided until they moved to Saline County March 13, 1833, and located on a farm five miles north of Slater, where he grew to manhood.

Mr. Hains secured his early education in the public schools of Virginia and Saline County and later attended William Jewel College, completing his education and starting teaching when he was but 19 years of age. For seventeen terms he taught in the rural schools of his section and all of his former students class him as one of the best instructors they ever had, being through in his work, a strict disciplinarian, but always kindly and considerate. In addition to his school work he engaged in farming and stock raising, and there are many farmers in this community at the present time who owe their start to the help and encouragement given by Mr. Hains.

He was united in marriage to Miss Rosie W. Quisenberry, a former pupil, on October 10, 1891, and to his union two children here born, a son who passed away in infancy, and a daughter, Mrs. J. W. Jaques, of Slater.

In addition to the wife and daughter, he leaves one grand-daughter, -----------------, and one grand-son,----------------. The brothers and sisters are George W. Hains of Slater, W.W. Hains and R. N. Hains of Marshall, Mrs. R. C. Potter of Superior, Neb., Mrs V. E. Grimes, Miss Minnie Hains, Mrs. H. E. Page and Mrs. P. M. Jeter, all of Slater.

Mr. Hains was never too busy with personal affairs to neglect any civic duties. He served as bank president here for many years, was a long time member of the State Legislature from Saline county and was probably responsible for more good roads and good works of every kind in the county during his tenure of office than any other representative the county ever had. He had been named as a Colonel on the staff of Governor Phil Donnelley and was serving in this capacity at the time of his death, and he was well and favorably known to every Democratic politician of note in the state. He served as mayor of Slater and it was during his administration that the present beautiful city park and the swimming pool were built and put into operation.

For a number of years past he had been engaged in the ice, coal and storage business with the late Gus Heiler, and since the death of Mr Heiler had carried the business on along until last summer when he disposed of the same and had since devoted all his time to looking after his farming and other property interests.

During his lifetime he had been a faithful member of the Baptist church, first in the old Good Hope church and later in the Slater church. When the Good Hope church was abandoned some months ago and the building and property sold, Mr. Hains was one of the men who advocated the setting up of a corporation and the establishment of a fund for the permanent maintenance of the Good Hope Cemetery, and he was elected as president of the proposed corporation.

He was a man who was outstanding in many ways. A public spirited citizen, a friend who was loyal and true and a man whom the community can ill afford to miss.

The funeral services, conducted by Rev. Lynn T. Richardson, were held at the First Baptist Church Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock and the remains were laid to rest in the Slater City Cemetery. The huge throng in attendance and the wealth of beautiful floral offerings bore mute but eloquent testimony to the high esteem in which Mr. Hains was held throughout the entire community.

Funeral Service Report from the Daily Democrat-News of January 15, 1947

Activity in Slater halted for more than an hour yesterday afternoon during the funeral and burial services for R. L. Hains. Thus did a city as a whole voluntarily show tribute to the memory of a man who had been outstanding in loyalty and benefit to his home town.

The funeral service in the handsome Baptist Church began at 2 o'clock but by 1:15 o'clock friends and admirers of Mr. Hains began filling the pews of the main floor and the balcony. During that period Hill Brothers, funeral directors, were arranging the great number of beautiful floral offerings on the pulpit platform and the choir rail. The funeral directors had difficulty finding space for all the baskets and sprays of flowers which grieving friends had sent.

At 1:55 o'clock Mrs.Inez Wade began softly playing on the church's large organ and soon thereafter, with all in the church standing, the heavy metal casket, in which reposed the body of this man who had been a benign influence to all who knew him, was solemnly rolled down the church aisle to a position in front of the pulpit. Covering the lid was the very beautiful family spray. The pallbearers and members of the immediate family and other relatives followed and took places reserved for them in the center section of the church

The service began with a quintet singing that great hymn of the Christian church, "The Old Rugged Cross." The singers were H. B. Brown, C. W. Bridges, Mrs Weller Hockaday, Mrs H. H. Rawlings and Mrs Sallie Stephens.

The part of the church pastor the Rev. Lynn Richardson, in the service began with him reading the obituary of Mr. Hains. In that obituary was mention of the close friendship between Mr. Hains and Gov. Phil M. Donnelly, and the pastor mentioned the beautiful flowers which had been sent by Governor and Mrs. Donnelly. The Reverend Richardson, flanked at the rear of the pulpit platform by the United States flag and the church flag, read requested Scripture, that very familiar passage from Second Timothy beginning with the seventh verse in which St. Paul wrote:

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing;"

The pastor then quoted a verse which Mr. Hains had enjoyed repeating, which is found in Proverbs 22:1:

"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather than silver and gold."

The pastor read the poem which was the favorite of Mr. Hains. "The House By the Side of the Road," and related that just 10 minutes before Mr. Hains died at 10 o'clock last Saturday night at Fitzgibbon Hospital here, he quoted portions of that poem to his nurse.

Next the pastor read an extract from a letter which recently was written to Mr. Hains by his granddaughter, ------------------, in which she expressed love and tribute to her grandfather as a man of genuine sincerity, thankfulness, a jovial sense of humor, a man who never carried a chip on his shoulder, never was a grouch and complainer and who always extended his hand to all in the community.

A prayer by the Reverend Richardson followed and in it the pastor said in part:

"Oh God, we call upon your mercies in times of adversity, especially when we have lost loved ones, because that is our greatest trouble. We are invited to your throne as a source of help strength, and consolation. We thank Thee for the good life of this departed brother."

Hubert Brown sang a solo, "When the Night Shades Are Falling" and then the Reverend Richardson preached the funeral sermon which was based on Philippines 1:21 which reads:

"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

The pastor said in part:

"That may seem to you strange language, hard to believe but we understand that God's message is consistent and abiding and therefore we accept by faith this word that to die is gain. Death in the Bible is designated as sleep and Christ declared that he who believeth on Me shall never see death. I have read and wondered about those words and I have decided they are not figurative language, that one may not have to experience death, because the Bible calls it sleep.

"Life in the Bible is termed fleeting, uncertain, like a cloud at dawn, like the grass at none that withered away. I was talking not long ago to a man 94 years old and he declared it seemed to him only yesterday that he was a child. Thus is forced on our consciousness the brevity of life.

"It has been said that a man liveth so shall he die and I wonder if that is not true to a great extent. I think of the horrible death of Jezebel, Absalom and Judas. By contrast, Brother Hains, who led an active life, was ever helpful to others and maintained his interest in the affairs of this world even up to the latest happenings of his life. The way he lived was the way he died and truly it can be said of him that he died as he had lived.

"I believe the greatest curse that man could have would be for God to decree that man could not die. These frail bodies of ours are so susceptible to pain and suffering and disease that it would be indeed a sad tragedy if would be indeed a sad tragedy if we could not die. But men can die and die in the Lord, as did Brother Hains.

"We do not understand many of the mysteries now but in that land that is fairer than day we will know, for that land is a place of unspeakable joy and there is no sorrow there. In that land we shall enjoy fellowship with our loved ones and we can achieve that goal through Christ, who gave his life for us. Christians believe the soul goes back to God and that we shall have glorified bodies in that place called Heaven."

The pastor read a poem on the theme of nearer the Father's house today than ever before and he continued:

"so we can say that, by faith in Scripture, to die really is gain. When those like Brother Hains, who lived the good life, die their lives become testimony for others to gain victory over death through life."

The pastor then spoke in a personal manner, saying that at a church meeting that morning in Sedalia he made the statement that he believed Slater had lost its most prominent citizen. He spoke of the loyalty which Mr. Hains had always shown to the Baptist Church of Slater and to all the pastors of that church. He declared that he never knew a man with a better memory and therefore Mr. Hains could quote literature and Scripture at great length. The Bible class, the Reverend Richardson said, always thrilled at the messages which Mr. Hains had for the members on Sunday mornings. He said that often he went to Mr. Hains for advice and had always found him kind and generous.

The pastor declared that as a civic man Mr. Hains had done much for the town, the community and the county and that as a man who loved home life he was a kind husband and father.

"Brother Hains will be greatly missed by this church and this town," the Reverend Richardson declared. "I feel inadequate to pay tribute to one who love so much. This great array of flowers and this large gathering of friends bespeak the love, esteem and respect in which fellow citizen was held. I pray for God's blessing on the wife, the daughter, the grandchildren and the brother and sister and relatives. May you have God's personal consolation is my prayer," Reverend Richardson said in conclusion.

The concluding part of the funeral service was a song by the quintet, "Going Down the Valley."

The casket was opened and placed near the south entrance of the church and as the large audience filed by for a last look at the body of Mr. Hains, the organist softly played, "Going Home" from the New World symphony.

At City Cemetery, in bright sunshine with fleecy clouds over head, the pallbearers, in solemn procession, carried the heavy casket to the open grave as the large number present watched in profound silence. The pallbearers were Charles Bolte, T. S. -----, J. E. Jones, S. T. Mead, ____ Jeter and Perry G. Storts. The flowers that were banked at the grave were arranged by members of the Sunday School class of Mrs. Jack Jaques, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hains.

The Reverend Richardson read ____ of Edgar A. Guest. ______________and after an appropriate Scripture selection said:

"It is a sad duty to five the body to the grave but we have the consolation of knowing that the soul has gone to our Maker and Redeemer."

In the prayer which concluded the burial service the Reverend Richardson said in part:

"We have come to his sad parting but are thankful, Oh God, for immortality and hope beyond the grave through Christ. We thank Thee for this dear brother and the good he accomplished and we praise Thy name for all he has done. Amen."