John R. Hinves, 97, of Westport, passed away on Sunday, October 20, 2024. He was the husband of Carolyn M. (Bartsch) Hinves, with whom he shared a wonderful marriage of 56 years.
Mr. Hinves was born in Fall River, son of the late John and Edith (Sheppard) Hinves, and had been a longtime resident of Somerset and Westport Point.
A 1945 graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, John always had a talent for anything mechanical. He started studying for an engineering degree at MIT before being drafted for WWII. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army as an auto mechanic in occupied Japan. After returning from Japan, he continued his education and earned a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Bradford Durfee Technical Institute (now UMass Dartmouth) in 1951. Upon graduation, he joined the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, where he enjoyed a long and productive career working on various torpedo improvement efforts. His career culminated with managing the development of helicopter launch and retrieval methods for torpedoes and targets, for which he was awarded several patents, before retiring in 1980.
Never idle, John enjoyed multiple hobbies and passions. He was a Master Mason in the Mount Hope Lodge. He was an active member of Union United Methodist Church, where he served as a Trustee and oversaw the construction of the new church building. He was an avid gardener and each summer he would supply friends and neighbors with his legendary fresh tomatoes. A talented machinist and woodworker, John enjoyed puttering in his shop, building and refinishing furniture, and working on various repair projects. His true passion, however, was being on the Westport River and waters of Buzzards Bay, and fly-fishing at Tim Pond in Maine. He built five boats to support this love of fishing and nothing was better to him than a meal of fresh seafood. John was a true renaissance man who made the most of a long and healthy retirement.
Survivors, along with his wife, include his son: John B. Hinves and his wife, Pam, of Somerset; and his 2 grandchildren, Matthew and Katherine, whom he adored and shared his hobbies and passions with. They were the light of his life.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Union United Methodist Church at 600 Highland Ave., Fall River, MA 02720.
Private services were held.