Robert Phillip Haire

Robert Phillip Haire, 88, passed away on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Phil was born May 1, 1936 in Caretta, West Virginia, to Herman and Pauline Jackson Haire. His family later moved to West Jefferson, NC, where he grew up.

Phil was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received both a bachelor’s degree in history and an LLB in Law. After service in the United States Air Force he moved to Sylva in Jackson County where he successfully practiced law for over 50 years. He was the attorney for the Town of Sylva for 28 years and also worked for the towns of Waynesville and Hazelwood, Macon County and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. A highlight of his legal career was as Assistant Majority Counsel for the US Senate Watergate Committee in 1973. Phil actively participated in the NC Bar Association, serving as president of the 30th District Bar Association, Chairman of the NC Conference of Bar Presidents, and the NC Bar Association Board of Governors which he chaired for three years. 

As a true public servant, Phil served on the Board of Trustees at Western Carolina University for 5 years and on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors for 12 years. He represented the people of western North Carolina House District 119 in the NC House of Representatives for 7 terms (14 years). Phil and his wife Connie were honored by Western Carolina University with a Distinguished Service Award and the Public Policy Institute at WCU is named for them. Always a supporter of education, he was on the planning committee that established the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. 

His life was always active with friends and family, traveling to several countries in Europe, Africa, South America, China, Australia, and Russia. He loved to ski and had annual trips to Europe with friends and he skied “out west” with his friends and his three sons regularly. As a runner Phil participated in numerous local and regional road races, and a major achievement for him was to run the original Marathon in Greece. He loved music and theater and frequently performed in several local theater productions. Phil was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Sylva for over 60 years. He was very active in his church, having chaired the administrative board, the planning and building committees, and served as a lay leader. 

Phil dedicated his life to helping those around him through his generosity and wisdom. His spirit and humility earned him the respect and admiration of all who knew him. His contributions to the community and the state of North Carolina were recognized when he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Phil is preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Pauline Haire and his first wife, Nancye Smathers Haire. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Connie M. Haire, along with his brother, Earle R. Haire (Patricia), sons Phillip Haire (Ann), Scott Haire (Sharon), Tate Haire (Jenny), daughter Anne Collins, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. 

A celebration of life will be held at 2pm, on October 26, 2024, at Sylva First United Methodist Church.

Interment will be at Keener Cemetery in a private service. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations or memorials be directed to the Haire Institute for Public Policy Fund at the Western Carolina University Foundation, 1 University Drive, 201 HF Robinson Administration Building, Cullowhee, NC 28723. Online memorials may be made at give.wcu.edu/haire