Matthew Joseph Haynes

Waynesville – Matthew Joseph Haynes, 21, passed away on Thursday, January 11, 2024.

Matthew was a resident of Haywood County and a Junior at North Carolina State University. He was the son of Charles Matthew and Michelle Lee Haynes. 

Matthew brought a bright light to this world as a genuine, loving, and beautiful soul.  He truly lit up a room when he walked in and just brought an immediate unconscious smile or a laugh to all those around him.  He always had a deep commitment to and love for his family and friends throughout his life. He was fiercely loyal and would lay it all down to come to the aid or defense of family and friends at any moment.  If he knew you, he was just waiting for an opportunity to show you that he would be there for you.  He loved life and lived it wide open as you no doubt recognized if his life touched yours even for a season.  Through it all Matthew was strong in his foundation of faith and his personal relationship with Christ.  This was recognizable to those around him as Love, Joy, Kindness, Gentleness, Goodness, and Faithfulness, but the greatest of these was Love.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Michael Aaron Haynes, of Waynesville; paternal grandparents, Ted and Marie Haynes; maternal grandparents, Julius and Sue Lee; aunts, Heidi Wiggins and Beth Reinhold (Steven); uncle, Michael Lee (Michelle); cousins, Anna Wrenn (Jackson) and their son, Jack, Ellie Buzyan (Tim), Will Wiggins (Anna); and Joseph Lee, and several other extended family members, especially his beloved girlfriend Grayson Johnson.

Public funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at Antioch Baptist Church with Dr. Stephen Buys and Pastor Josh Blight officiating the service.  The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service at the church and again immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family has established a perpetual scholarship in Matthew’s name at Haywood Christian Academy. Donations may be made directly to:

Matthew Haynes Scholarship Fund, Haywood Christian Academy 77 Sutton Loop, Waynesville, NC 28786

or online by selecting Give, Matthew Haynes Scholarship from the dropdown menu at haywoodchristianacademy.churchcenter.com or by scanning the QR code below.

The care of Matthew has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville and an online memorial register is available at “Obituaries” at www.wellsfuneralhome.com