Gene Wesley Hinds

Gene Hinds left this life for the next early Tuesday morning, July 14, two weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He had quietly battled Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He successfully finished his Christian race with grace and confidence. He experienced little if any pain during this time. Born July 26, 1925 in Greeley, Colorado to Archie and Ola Hinds, a public school administrator and teacher. Gene and his sister Elaine, who would later become a life-long missionary in Europe, attended Abilene Christian College, where Gene met and married Margaret Walton. He transferred to the Colorado School of Mines where he completed a Metallurgical Engineering degree, managing an apartment and working summers in a silver mine. Following graduation, Gene and Margaret moved to Provo, Utah where he worked at a steel mill and where their first two children – Paul and James – were born. In 1954, a new job took the family to New Jersey, where two more children were born – Tom and Julie. In 1962, at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. government asked Gene to spend 10 months in Yugoslavia modernizing their steel industry. He took his family with him. In 1965, at age 40, Gene decided to move his family to Portland, Oregon, the “second most beautiful place” he’d seen (after Colorado). A few years later, in 1971, Gene founded Hinds International (later Hinds Instruments) and collaborated with a professor from the University of Oregon to develop and commercialize optical polarization measurements and later meteorological instruments. Margaret died of cancer the same year. In 1974, Gene married Helen Hopkins, whose husband had also died of cancer. The Hinds and Hopkins families had worshipped together in New Jersey. Gene adopted Helen’s two children – Martha and Jim. They became a “yours, mine and ours” family when John was born – seven children. Gene saw himself as a practical servant wherever he lived. In Utah, he led singing at their small congregation. At the Echo Lake Church of Christ in New Jersey, he served as a prison ministry deacon. While in Yugoslavia, he developed relationships that missionaries later used to plant the first churches behind the Iron Curtain. Gene also served as an elder at the Westside Church of Christ in Beaverton, and for many years served on the board of Columbia Christian College. His passions were young people, Christian education, and missions. In retirement, he and Helen traveled and on occasion moved so they could worship regularly with their children’s families in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Gene was a faithful Christian and beloved family patriarch, and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife Helen; children Paul (& Julie), James (& Nancy), Tom (& Judy), Julie (& Dale Linge), Martha (& Nader Khoury), Jim (& Melissa), and John (& Megan); 21 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. A memorial will be held at 11 am Saturday, July 25 at Southwest Church of Christ, 9725 SW Durham Rd, Tigard, OR. Donations may be made in Gene’s memory to Southwest Church of Christ - Missions.