Earl Hinkle of Troy, formerly of Laura, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 1. He was five weeks shy of his 95th birthday. Earl was preceded in death by his parents, C.R. and Myrtle (Eastridge) Hinkle, his brother Hollis Hinkle, his loving wife, Martha (Thompson) Hinkle, his beloved daughter Sherry Wackler, his daughter-in-law Nancy Hinkle, twin granddaughters Emily and Elizabeth Hinkle, and his second wife, Margaret Rhoades. He is survived by his brother Eldon (Nancy) Hinkle, his children Gary (Dayle) Hinkle of Peachtree City, Georgia, his daughter Terry Hinkle of Riverdale, Georgia, his daughter Merry (Bill) Seipel of Troy, his daughter Gerry (Joe) Ewing of Tipp City, grandchildren Heather (Tony) York, Nathan Seipel, Bret (Shannon) Seipel, Lisa (Mike) Philips, Jess(Julian McAfferty) Ewing, and Cole (Madi) Ewing. He was also blessed with great grandchildren Lauren and Brianna York, Bryce and Renner Philips, Kennedy, Karys, Kaiya, and Kason Seipel, and Augustus Ewing.
Earl was born in Somerset, Kentucky, on June 8, 1925. He grew up in Miami County and graduated from Milton-Union High School in 1943. He was on their first football team. Upon graduating, Earl immediately joined the United States Merchant Marines and proudly served for the remaining two years of WWII, in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and Europe. Highlights of that time for Earl includes piloting the ship through the Panama Canal on two occasions, being fired upon near Naples, Italy, and being stranded in a raft on the vast Pacific Ocean for an afternoon.
Earl built a house in Laura, where he and Martha raised their five children and where he resided for almost sixty years. He worked for NCR for twenty-five years and for the Miami County Bridge Crew for ten years. He greatly enjoyed the part-time, post-retirement job he held at the Homestead Golf Course. In 2010, Earl and his second wife Margaret moved to Brookhaven Retirement Center in Brookville. Almost two years ago, Earl moved to the memory unit of Troy Healthcare and Rehab where a very loving staff took excellent care of him.
Earl worshipped at the Troy Baptist Temple for many years and later Grace Baptist Church of Ludlow Falls. He was an avid golfer, a master of the game of chess, and a skilled carpenter. He was witty, wise, and well-loved. Finally and most important to him, he was a family man who liked to refer to himself as “the Hub” of the family, around whom everyone else should gather. We will greatly miss those gatherings.
A memorial service will be held at a later date, and Earl will be buried beside Martha in the Miami Memorial Park Cemetery outside of Covington, Ohio. His immediate family would like to thank the staff of Troy Healthcare and Rehab and Heartland Healthcare for their excellent care and to friends and extended family for their prayers, love, and support.
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