PORT TOWNSEND — Former Port Townsend Police Chief and Jefferson County Commissioner Bob Hinton has died at the age of 76.
He died of a heart attack Wednesday — peacefully, surrounded by friends and family, said his wife, Anna Hinton.
“Bob was full of life, he laughed loud and loved big,” she said in a written statement.
“He was deeply loved by many and his passing will have a lasting impact on this town, the community and all who were dear to him.”
Hinton was a lifelong resident of the Quimper Peninsula, said former Jefferson County Sheriff Mel Mefford, Hinton’s friend for 60 years.
“He was a good guy, and no one can replace him,” Mefford said.
“When he was county commissioner, he was always happy, and we will all miss his sense of humor.”
Memorial service
A memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
Debi Hinton, who was married to Bob Hinton from 1990 to 2004, called Hinton “a prankster.”
“One time, he bought a large styrofoam heart and took it to Safeway to get frosted,” she said.
“He gave it to the ladies at the bank for Valentine’s Day, and it was the next day before they discovered they weren’t getting any cake.”
By Saturday, many tributes were posted on social media.
“I will never forget the time I turned into the trails when he went to pull me over,” Tom Cartmel posted on Debi Hinton’s page.
“When I got home he was at the house having coffee with my parents. He just winked at me and never told my parents.”
Mefford said he expected several hundred people to attend Saturday’s memorial service and tell stories about Hinton, while Debi Hinton expects more than 400.
Bob Hinton was a 1957 graduate of Chimacum High School.
After serving in the Air Force, Hinton joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 1966 and the Port Townsend Police Department in 1969.
He moved up the ranks and was police chief when he retired in 1991.
When he was police chief, Hinton would walk up and down Water Street every day “asking people how it was going,” Debi Hinton said.
Following his retirement, he served a single term as Jefferson County commissioner from 1992 to 1996.
He is survived by his wife; daughter Colleen Myers and granddaughter Alycia Myers, both of Port Townsend; and four adopted stepchildren.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
