Charles C. Hinckley

On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Charles Hinckley of Fort Collins, Colorado, previously of Winter Park, Florida, passed beyond our reach after a strong fight against an aggressive prostate cancer. He was a loving husband, bothersome brother, devoted father and grandfather. He was a continuous dog walker to a myriad of German shepherds, the last one named Twink.

Charlie was born in 1934 in Asheville, North Carolina to Margaret (Meg) and William (Bill) Hinckley. He grew up on a farm in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated high school from the Cambridge School of Weston in East Boston, Massachusetts. He attended The University of Maryland, but enlisted in the U.S. Navy before graduating. He served for 22 years as a Hospital Corpsman. He travelled the world on Navy Destroyers. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, including one with the Marines.

He was first married in 1959 to Elsie Asbjorn. They had two children, Jacqueline and Gregor, while living in Maryland.

He met Bernice, his second and surviving wife, while stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1965. They were introduced through their lifelong friend, Duncan Williams. Bernice and Charlie married in San Diego, CA, in 1967. They had their first daughter, Jennifer, in 1970, and second daughter, Alison, in 1975.
He retired from the US Navy in 1977 while stationed in San Diego and permanently relocated his family to Winter Park, Florida. They lived in Winter Park until 2004. Charlie and Bernie then moved to a newly built home in Floral City, Florida. In 2010, they moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, to be near their grandchildren, Isabel and Ari.

Charlie attended recitals, school plays, swim meets, rodeos and regattas while raising his children. He also spent many hours watching movies with them. Some of his favorites included: FireFox, Hopscotch, Short Circuit and The Princess Bride. He went to soccer matches to cheer on Isabel and helped Ari grow into a creative and strong toddler.

He loved airshows, flying airplanes and was a pilot most of his life. He was one of the first people EVER to have a desktop Apple computer. He loved all things made by Apple! He enjoyed football in his youth. He also liked riding his bike (as an adult) until an unfortunate run-in with our dog, Nike, which ruined the front wheel of his last bike. He loved music, most especially jazz (e.g., Thelonious Monk) and must've spent at least 1 million hours throughout his life wearing headphones while listening and humming loudly. He was almost always learning to play the piano. He loved all types of mustard and spicy foods. He also enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, although few dishes were universally appealing.

He is loved and will be sorely missed. He was one of the most loving people you could ever know.
A private family gathering will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Larimer Humane Society http://www.larimerhumane.org/ .

Death cannot stop true love. It can only delay it for a while. – The Princess Bride