Obituary: Realtor, Former Teacher Allen Hainge of Reston

Allen F. Hainge, 69, passed away last week after a long battle with prostate cancer.

A graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, TN, he was a former high school English teacher (Battle Ground Academy, TN; St. John's School, Houston; Stockbridge School, MA; Foxcroft School, VA), REALTOR®, and national speaker/trainer to the real estate industry nationwide.

He founded the Allen F. Hainge CyberStars®, an international group of top producing real estate agents who use technology to better serve their clients.

 Allen began a second life on December 1, 1984, when he attended his first AA meeting. The compulsion to drink left him at that meeting, and over the next 28 years of sobriety and fellowship he learned from others in meetings around the country and abroad how to focus on the solution, not the problem, and that true happiness life came from serving others, in seeking to understand rather to be understood, and to love rather than be loved.

Consequently, even during his illness, he found true serenity and happiness and was surrounded by friends and family. Allen felt and expressed deep gratitude for his extensive support group during his illness. The group included his two ex-wives (Diane Gruel of Escondido, CA, and Lyn Hainge of Arlington, VA), his four wonderful children and their families (Kelly Moore of San Diego, CA, Kim Young of Cypress, TX, Lesli Barr of Columbus, OH, and Chris Hainge of Kyoto, Japan), his wonderful stepmother (Jeanne Fergus of Livingston, TX), his partner (Ellie Palmer of Rockville, MD), and his numerous sponsees and AA friends.

He found great satisfaction in his ongoing passion, fishing. He and his son, Chris, spent wonderful, serene days on the water fly fishing for trout or bassin' throughout the U.S., Canada, and abroad, culminating in a day of catching huge bass on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Allen found great joy in taking others fishing, especially those who had not been introduced to the sport previously. Family, friends, children, adults, and cancer patients of all ages were among those he "guided" to big bass or bluegills on Lake Anne in Reston, where he lived.

Allen's goal of helping each of his grandchildren catch his or her first fish was accomplished, and his only rule for those who were new to the sport was that each had to kiss their first fish to ensure life-long fishing success!
During his illness, Allen was surrounded by miracles, including his family, AA members, and the wonderful people of Capital Caring. These miracles allowed Allen to retain a positive mental attitude even at the hardest of times, a trait that inspired many who knew him.

In our time of mourning, let us remember the phrase that guided Allen as he strived to better his own life and the lives of those around him:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, September 8th, at 10:00am, on Lake Anne Plaza, Reston. Contributions may be made to Capital Caring (http://www.capitalcaring.org/) or your local AA chapter.