Johnson "Jack" Oliver Hinton

Johnson "Jack" Oliver Hinton, age 97, passed away Sunday, May 11, 2025 in Bethany, Oklahoma. He was born July 29, 1927 in Gulfport, Mississippi. Jack was raised in the small, rural, central Louisiana town of Echo. Upon graduating from Fifth Ward H.S. in 1945, he enlisted in the US Navy and served in the South Pacific aboard LSTs. Upon discharge, he briefly attended LSU and then shipped out in the Merchant Marines as an Able Bodied Seaman. He later secured a multi-engine pilot's license and enlisted in the newly created US Air Force. He attended Photography School and served with the Air Weather Service in Washington D.C. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Jack was retrained as a radar operator and served with Air Control and Warning Groups in Japan and Okinawa. He was discharged as a S/Sgt and moved to Houston, TX where he worked Air Operations at Hobby Airport with the FAA and also served actively with the civil air patrol. Jack attended night classes and developed skills as a machinist and as an electronic technician. He found continuous employment with various geophysical companies supporting the bustling oil industries of Houston. Jack met and married Lorene Elna King and together raised her son Dennis Anderson. Over the years the couple lived in Stafford, TX., Kerrville, TX., Sherman, TX., and Yukon, OK. They were together 50 years at the time of her death. Jack relished being a freelance photographer and did photo shoots of many weddings, reunions, and quinceaneras. Over the years, he served his community as a volunteer fireman, volunteer EMS responder, Red Cross Disaster Chairman and as an instructor of various emergency response classes. Jack later met and married Ozella V. Brown of Yukon, OK. Together they enjoyed bowling, dancing, traveling, photography, attending military reunions (USN and USAF) and participating in various activities at the Senior Center. They were together 17 years at the time of her death. Jack is also preceded in death by his parents, Ira Lucas "Ted" Hinton and Beryl Richerson; step-son, Dennis Anderson; siblings, Edmund "Eddie" Hinton, Sarah Joseph, and Beryl Jordan. He is survived by his half-brother, Richard R. Digney of Shreveport, LA and by various nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Jack's life will be 10am Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at Bill Merritt Funeral Service in Bethany, OK. His ashes will be interred with Ozella at El Reno Cemetery in El Reno, OK. In lieu of flowers and condolences, the family requests you support your local volunteer and veteran organizations.