Obituaries

Martin “Marty” Hinkle of Clarksville, TX, passed from this earth on April 21st, 2022, in Sherman, Texas.

Marty was born in Flint, MI, to Jack and Alberta Hinkle, on February 12, 1959. In 1968, his family moved to Big Rapids , MI, where he graduated from Big Rapids High School in 1977, and from Ferris State College a few years later. As a young teen, Marty worked on a dairy farm which paved a path for his career in the dairy industry ultimately working as a Safety Manager until he retired in 2021. This is also where his love for horses began.

Marty is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Alberta Hinkle, brother in law Bob Olson, and sister in law Judy Hinkle.

Marty is survived by his wife, Tammy Hinkle, daughter: Amanda (Mick) Rickerd, son: Tim Hinkle, brothers: Dan Hinkle and Pat (Mindy) Hinkle; sisters: Nancy (Rex) Wiseman and Penny (Kirt) McCauley; grandchildren: Sydney, Makenzie and Joselyn; nieces and nephews: Dale Hinkle, Katie (Nick) Axford, Kelsey (Jeff) Baker, Kyle (Megan Guidry) Hinkle, Rob (Jenilee) Olson, Kristy (Scott) Thompson, Kerry (Zack) Dukes, Kaylee McCauley, Erin McCauley.

Our mutual love of Texas music and friends led us to envision a party place where we could all gather at our home, no matter the weather. This vision became Harmony Hill and we shared the best of times with friends and family over the next 6 years. We were so proud of this accomplishment and how much everyone loved gathering with us. As much as we loved it, we eventually realized it was more work than we had anticipated and we really did not want to have jobs after retirement! Last year we mutually decided to sell Harmony Hill. Our search for a new place to land brought us to Clarksville, TX, where we found a home that we knew would be another perfect gathering spot for friends and live music. We were discussing where we would put a stage and how we would design it when we both came down with Covid.

Marty fought a hard fight for 3 full months and as we thought he was rounding the bend towards recovery, his pneumonia returned and it was just too much for him to fight this time. He was in no pain and was sleeping peacefully when he gained his angel wings and God took him home. There is a peace of mind knowing he wasn’t aware, or in fear, of what was happening.

I envision Marty at the gates of heaven with our Gus greeting him with big hugs and sloppy kisses! He was a great man and will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Let Marty live on in our hearts and stories shared around our campfires. He would love that.

A service and celebration of life will be held at 1:00 PM, Sunday, June 26th, at Harmony Hill in Weatherford, TX. An additional service will be held on June 18th, in Rockford, Michigan. More details to follow on both services.