LIMA, Ohio — Lima’s Sixth Ward Councilman is urging the community to remember Bonita Haynes, nearly three decades after her tragic death.
Councilman Derry Glenn wants residents to remember Haynes, a case manager at the Lima Correctional Institution who was brutally killed by two inmates on August 6, 1996. Since her death, a scholarship program in her name has been established, as well as a memorial garden at the prison to honor Haynes and other employees who died in the line of duty.
About 25 years ago, the Lima City Council declared August 6 as Bonita Haynes Day. Glenn is encouraging residents to commemorate the occasion by turning on their porch lights that evening.
“So, we’re going to celebrate this holiday on August 6th, and at 7 p.m., we’re asking everyone to turn on their porch lights to let Bonita Haynes know she’s the light in our lives. We’ve been thinking about you all these years, and the work she did as a caseworker at Lima Corrections at the time,” says Councilmember Glenn.
Glenn is also requesting that residents who fly the American flag lower it to half-staff on August 6 in honor of Haynes.
