Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Robert Bronson Haines

Robert Bronson (Bob) Haines, 83, of Tewksbury, N.J., passed away on May 9, 2023, in Morristown, N.J.

Bob was born in Plainfield, N.J. to Robert and Charlotte Haines on Nov. 27, 1939. After graduating from high school, Bob went on to earn his B.A. cum laude from Princeton University.

From there, Bob was recruited into the U.S. Army, where he served for two years. He went on to receive his LL.B. from University of Virginia School of Law and a master’s degree from New York University. Bob’s expertise was in estate planning and tax strategies, and he practiced law in New Jersey for his entire professional career.

While Bob liked to travel, his favorite place was with his wife, Ellen Siegel, and at least one Golden Retriever, on the porch at the house they shared on Shelter Island.

They were summer residents here, and Bob served on the Heights Property Owners Corporation and the North Ferry Board. Bob was also a member of the Shelter Island Yacht Club.

Two organizations were near to Bob’s heart. He was an active board member of the Frost Valley YMCA and the Hunterdon Art Museum. He was also involved with his alma mater, Princeton. Bob was an avid patron of the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater, and New York City Ballet. In his younger years, Bob loved biking and sailing.

Bob is survived by his wife, Ellen Siegel, of Tewksbury, N.J., and Shelter Island Heights. He is also survived by his stepdaughters and their spouses, Jane Rosenthal and Barry Stenger and Anne Rose-Mason and Stephen Mason. Bob had five grandchildren, E. Vladimir Smith, W. Drew Stenger, Leonard Stenger, Sylvia Rose-Mason and Clara Rose-Mason.

Bob is also survived by his sister, Teresa Martin (predeceased by her husband, Leonard Martin) and Teresa’s family.