Jean Hinkley

Jean was born on March 10, 1947, in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Mildred Lois Simmons and Fred Henry Sternberg. She passed away at home on March 10, 2026, surrounded by the people she loved.

She grew up in Vale, Oregon, where she milked cows before school, often sharing fond memories of those early days. Jean met Don Hinkley in a pink Studebaker and they married on February 25, 1964, in Payette, Idaho. The couple lived with Pearl and Melvin Derrick in Idanha, Oregon, until they could get on their feet, then moved to Savages Cabins, where they began their family. Their daughter, Lyndia Joy, was born there, followed a year later by their son, Don Hinkley Jr. Jean often recalled with humor how Lyndia slept in a dresser drawer as a newborn.

The family later moved to Idaho, where Jean worked at Ore-Ida, before returning to Idanha in 1976. Over the years she held many jobs, pumping gas in Idanha, waitressing at Marion Forks, tagging fish at the Marion Forks hatchery, and working at Rivers Run. She later worked alongside her daughter, granddaughter, and husband at Detroit Market until the fires of 2020. Jean cherished time with her family, whether hunting, fishing, camping, or visiting the beach. She also treasured her trips to see her brother Tom, his wife Dora, and their family, and looked forward to the fish Jared would bring her in her later years.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband Don Hinkley, her parents Fred Sternberg and Mildred Troy, and her brother George Sternberg. She is survived by her daughter Lyndia (Terry) Basl of Stayton, her son Don Hinkley Jr. of Salem, her brothers Ray (Maureen) Sternberg and Tom (Dora) Morcom of Vale, Oregon, her sisters Shirley (Ron) Koetz of Alsea and Susan Goddard of Hawthorne, Nevada, her grandchildren Nick Rickard, Alys Ammon, Tony Ammon, Christina and Boe Don Hinkley, and Nick Basl, her five great-grandchildren Mason, Hollis, and Lillian Rickard, and Brittany and Brennen Basl, along with many others she lovingly called her kids, grandkids, and family, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.