Haywood Vines was born on May 10, 1949 to Mosetta and Haywood Vines Sr. He was raised in Harlem, New York with his two younger brothers, Douglas and Kenneth.

Haywood attended Edward Stitt Junior High School and graduated from George Washington High School in 1968. It was at George Washington High School where he met his first wife Barbara and from this union, two children were born; Vanessa and Jason.

Upon graduation, Haywood began working at Morgan Guaranty Trust. He worked there for a short period of time before enlisting in the United States Army. After being Honorably Discharged from the Army, Haywood resumed working for Morgan Guaranty Trust where he was employed for several years. He left Morgan Guaranty Trust to work with the NYCTA as a Train Conductor, and retired from that job after many years of service.

Haywood would divorce and remarry twice before finding his loving wife Ann. Their beautiful bond of twenty-two years remained strong and vibrant.

He loved sports. Haywood was a football coach for the youth at Rochdale Community Development and an avid Jets fan. He was a seasoned traveler and especially enjoyed cruising. Once the ship docked and the vacation was over, Haywood was on his computer looking for the next vacation. He loved to sail the seven seas. He also loved beautifying his backyard. He was very passionate about his vegetable and flower gardens. The neighbors didn’t have to buy tomatoes in the summer!!

Haywood was an intelligent and caring man and a proud father who loved his mother and his family dearly. He made a peaceful transition on June 16, 2014.

Haywood leaves to rejoice in his memory, his wife Ann, two brothers Douglas and Kenneth. Four children Vanessa, Jason, Tarenna and Shawn. Eleven grandchildren, Christina, Nadira, Matthew, Arianna, Jouri, David, Eshe, Shamar, Miles, Shareef and Mekhi. Two great-grandchildren, Niylah and Cameron. Sister in-law Jeanette, daughter in-law Stacey, son in-law Elliot and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.