David Hinkins Obituary

David Hinkins of Farnham, Virginia passed on July 14,2025 at 3:23 a.m. on his 83rd birthday after many long health issues.

Dave Hinkins was born in Detroit Michigan on July 14, 1942. He was the first child of Elmer and Alice Hinkins, followed by siblings James then Lois. As a child Dave fantasized about winning a pony and gathered clippings for it under his porch. He came from a very devout Christian family, but he found the religion stifling, and when he graduated from high school and went on to Devry in Chicago, he became a Lutheran. The Lutheran church he attended had a large young adult program and there he found friends he kept his entire life.

Dave met and married his first wife Jean, a nursing student at a nearby college, while in Illinois. The couple had two children, David and Eric, before moving to Colorado in 1976. One of Dave's memories of his son, David, Jr. was when he came home to find a coyote in the freezer. David Jr. was planning on selling the pellet. After the couple's divorce, Dave had custody of Eric, and father and son traveled extensively. Their trips included visiting Disneyland, Disney World, England where his son David was stationed, Florida to scuba dive, and many visits to relatives in Michigan.

Over the course of his career, Dave held numerous positions, but his favorite was as an employee of Mitutoyo. Mitutoyo was a metrology instrument company, and he sold plastic molding equipment as well as other optical equipment. He loved the job and held it for over 25 years. The plastic industry was taken over quickly by the Chinese and shriveled up in Colorado. For a time, Dave had his own metrology equipment sales company and flew his plane around the United States to sell plastic molding equipment.

Dave was an avid pilot and held his license for over 55 years. He owned several planes, leasing them back for a while in Colorado to a flying club. His own plane was Katrina, a retractable gear Piper Arrow which he sold a little over a year ago. He enjoyed going out for the proverbial 100-dollar hamburger or 200-dollar chili rellenos. One of his favorite places to fly to was New Mexico, to a small town called Rancho de Chimayo. He also flew to Niagara Falls, Mt. Rushmore, Nebraska, Detroit, Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to name a few.

Dave loved Maui and returned three times to Hawaii but found Maui to be his favorite. He enjoyed hiking around the bamboo forest around Hana.

While living in Colorado, Dave met Mary-Jane Starbuck in 1988 on second base during a softball game. The couple dated for years before marrying on March 17, 1995. Mary-Jane had two children, Arianna and Nathanial, and Dave and Nathanial became very close. Arianna's son Tyler also spent a lot of time with Dave in his early life. Dave flew with the kids to Nebraska, North Dakota, and one special memory was to DIA (Denver International Airport) when it opened. They had a General Aviation Day so small planes could fly in before it was opened. It was a great experience.

Whatever Dave did, he did with abandon. An ardent skier, he was hell on sticks. Once he ruptured his spleen and spent time in a Salt Lake hospital. Another time he nearly broke his neck and had to have surgery to rebuild the spine. He also took his motorcycle on many trips. His longest trip was to Oshgosh, Wisconsin. He had a serious motorcycle accident and was in the hospital for three weeks.

In 2008 Dave and Mary-Jane made the difficult decision to move to Virginia, though they continued to travel back to Colorado frequently to see children and grandchildren. Both enthusiastic boaters, they joined the United States Power Squadron (USPS) and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCG). Dave was the USPS Treasurer for many years and a staff officer at USCG. He made many lifelong friends. The couple met boating with the USPS and crewing with the USCG. Another great pleasure was spending time with their friends at Captain John S. Beach Marina where they kept the boat for many years.

Dave and Mary-Jane enjoyed many happy years together in Colorado then in Virginia. They loved to travel, whether it was by car, boat, or plane. They visited all fifty states, plus Mexico, Columbia, and Panama, many provinces in Canada, and several Caribbean islands. The boat was one of the highlights of their lives and they missed it terribly when it sank. They loved their home in Farnham on the Banks of the Morattico Creek. They have some of the best neighbors a person could ask for.

Dave leaves behind his two boys, Eric and David; his beloved wife Mary-Jane; two stepchildren, Arianna Dawn Starbuck and Nathanial Glen Starbuck; and his sister, Lois Stilber. He also leaves behind five step grandchildren: Tyler, Joclyn, Gavin, Austin, and Caley. He will be greatly missed by his loyal companion, Luna Tica. Though he only had Luna for a short period of time, they bonded. Dave's brother James Hinkins and his wife Jane, nephew Joey Hinkins, his parents Alice and Elmer, and Lois's husband, Bob, all preceded him in death.

Dave had a zest for life and for learning. He loved rock and roll like AC/DC, enjoyed swing dancing and concerts. He enjoyed studying the stock market, had his ham radio license and was active with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and he was trying to learn locksmithing.

He will truly be missed by his wife.

Memorial Services will take place at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at Currie Funeral Home in Kilmarnock, VA.