Francis "Lynn" Hinkle

Francis “Lynn” Hinkle passed away peacefully a few days after his 81st birthday with his wife, Barbara, by his side.

A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 11, 2023, at the Schnider Funeral Home Hospitality Room. He will be laid to rest at Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa, Iowa at a later date.

Lynn was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa on July 12, 1942, to Carroll and Eleanor Hinkle where he spent a happy childhood near his grandparents, sister, and many family members. Graduating from Oskaloosa High School in 1960, wanting to see the world, he married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Wright. They raised two daughters, Deborah Ann Smith and Kimberly Lynn Martin, both residing in Great Falls.

He proudly served seven years in the Army Intelligence Agency with two overseas tours in Germany and Japan. After returning home, he enjoyed a long and successful career in retail store management, purchasing the Ben Franklin Craft Store 1997 in Bozeman, Montana. He made many business trips to US cities and enjoyed the friendship of other store managers and owners. He always embraced new gadgets and tech with gusto.

As a young man, Lynn tinkered with old cars and hunted and fished with family, Each new experience brought new interests. Motorcycles in Japan, photography in Germany, and flying in Wisconsin. He loved music and local plays, his cat, Gabby, the hot tub, and warm weather. He and Barbara would travel to their winter home down in Arizona after he retired in 2004. With a powerful desire to succeed in business, he enjoyed the life he built for himself and Barbara with fortitude and hard work.

Lynn was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Patricia; and nephew, Paul Rowland. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara; children, Debbie and Kim; grandchildren, Rebecca Fairchild, Jacqueline Stilson, and Logan Martin; and great-grandchildren, Joselyn Lee, Kayce Lynn, and Wiley Ableidinger of Wisconsin.