Services For Former Manchester Mayor Bob Baines Later This Week

By InDepth NH

Former Manchester Mayor Robert A. Baines, 79, who died Jan. 23, 2026, in a Boston hospital from complications after heart surgery, will be remembered in a funeral Friday at 10 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church, 14 Elm St., Manchester, according to his obituary.

Calling hours will be Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Lambert Funeral Home, 1799 Elm St., Manchester.

Baines was the 53rd mayor of Manchester, first elected in November 1999, when he defeated incumbent Mayor Raymond Wieczorek. Baines served until 2006, when he was defeated by Alderman Frank Guinta.

He had a storied career, starting in 1968 as a music teacher in Hudson at Alvirne High School. He became Alvirne’s assistant principal and served until he was hired in Manchester in 1980 as principal of Manchester High School West, where he served until becoming mayor in 1999.

He was recently elected a Manchester School Board member and was a lifelong resident of Ward 9 in Manchester, according to his obituary. He attended Bakersville School and graduated from Manchester Memorial High School in 1964. He continued his education at Keene State College, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in music education.

Baines was awarded a master’s degree by Rivier College in 1976 and completed further graduate work at the University of New Hampshire. He served as a Manchester School Board representative from 1974-1978 and from 2024-present.

He served in the 39th Army Band for six years.

Baines was a mentor to many students, many of whom have been posting remembrances on social media. He brought the Community of Caring Program of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation to West High.

He was acquainted with program founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, which led him to Washington D.C. where he served as the director of that program for a year. He also served on the board of directors of the National Association of School Principals and was a past president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

He was elected to the Manchester Charter Commission in 1996 and ran for and was elected to the first of his three terms as mayor in 1999. During his tenure (2000-2006), he concentrated on improving Manchester schools, and a $105 million improvement plan was approved and implemented.

His obituary also noted that he was pivotal in bringing the Fisher Cats Stadium to Manchester. He served on the board of directors for the Palace Theatre and was a founder of Manchester Proud, STEAM Ahead, and a number of Manchester charities.

He was named Principal of the Year in 1990, Educator of the Year in 1996, and Citizen of the Year by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce in 2005.

He was also the recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award from Keene State College, the Granite State Award from the University of New Hampshire, as well as several honorary degrees.

After serving as mayor, he was employed by Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Education and served as president of Chester College of New England. He was elected to the position of Keene State College Alumni Trustee for the USNH board of trustees. He also served on the Community College System of New Hampshire board of trustees, and the Southern New Hampshire University Board.

He chaired the board of Manchester Community Television Services. For 20 years, he hosted the “Bob Baines Blarney Breakfast” which benefited charitable organizations such as the Special Olympics, Red Cross, March of Dimes, and the Shirley Brulotte Fund.

He was born in Manchester, NH on June 25, 1946 to Henry and Rena (Knee) Baines. He married the former Maureen McCaugney in 1974, and they had three children, son Timothy Baines and daughters Christina Vincent and Catherine Gardner. He also had four grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.

Friends and family are asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Bob Baines Scholarship Fund, which is currently being set up. Details will be released publicly in the near future.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.