St. Joseph man turns 99, continues to stay active

By Ashley Luthans

Local resident Earl “Marvin” Haynes celebrated his 99th birthday at one of his favorite places on Wednesday, the bowling alley.

In honor of his longtime passion for bowling, friends and family of Haynes threw him a surprise birthday party at Revolution Lanes in St. Joseph.

Haynes shared that he was extremely grateful for all of the support from loved ones.

“I thank everybody down here,” Haynes said. “I really enjoy them being here.”

Haynes has been bowling since the 1960s and continues to participate in league play each and every Wednesday.

Haynes’ daughter, Barbara Shoemaker, shared that her father’s best bowling game was in 2011 when he threw 11 strikes in a row for a final score of 279. Haynes was 86 years old at the time.

Haynes graduated from Benton High School in 1943. After graduating from high school, Haynes joined the United States Marine Corps during World War II.

Haynes served in the Marines from 1943 to 1945 and was awarded several medals.

He went on to work for Armour & Company for 13 years and then at Seitz Packing Company from 1961 until his retirement in 1967.

Haynes explained that he has lived a long and happy life thanks to remaining active and having a good support system.

“I lead a good life,” Haynes said. “I had a good wife, two good daughters, lots of grandkids. And I keep active all the time. I ride a bicycle, I bowl every week … I just enjoy life.”