Richard Dean Hindman

Richard Dean Hindman, "Rick" or "Richard", was born August 4th, 1946 in Portland, Oregon to Harry Elmer Hindman and Bertha Emelia Hindman. Richard and his identical twin brother were the youngest of 5 siblings. He was predeceased by his older brother Al and sister Evelyn, his former wife Cathy, and is survived by his brother Harry and his twin brother Bernie. Rick is also survived by his two children Amy and Brenda, and his four grandchildren Irie, Emelia, Oliver and Maya.

If anything defined his life, it was never wanting to be a spectator as he truly lived his life to the fullest. He tried his hands at anything he could from music, racing, flying, quilting, building or welding and it would be hard to find something that he had not tried. As a child, Richard became a very talented accordion player along with his brother Bernie. He told stories of traveling around with his father and brother allowing people to enjoy their accordion music.

Rick, along with his brothers, could probably name any car they spotted on the road, the year it was made and many other details about it. Automobiles, especially fast ones, were definitely a passion of his, which he pursued in his hobby of racing. He began racing considerably young, beginning with go-carts, and Rick continued to keep racing cars intertwined in his life well into his retirement. He grew his racing dream to bigger and faster cars like stock cars and smaller formula cars. Rick would often assist friends and family in building and working on their own race cars whenever he could. He also enjoyed being a part of numerous pit crews, giving himself even more opportunity to immerse himself in the sport. Rick's love of racing continued throughout his life, even racing spec Miata's until his early 70's!

Rick played hard, but he also worked hard. A huge part of his life has been his career as a welder. He served over 50 years in the trade. He gained notoriety while working at the Trojan Nuclear Plant in September of 1974. Along with his brother Bernie, they demonstrated the novel technique called walking the cup for TIG welding. Rick also gave his time as an officer and welding instructor for Local 290. He traveled the nation and touched many lives with his welding experience. His union family has been a core part of his life for over 50 years. The union gave him the opportunity to achieve his dream of obtaining a college degree. He held its members deep in his heart all the way until the end of his life.

In addition to his career in welding, he also had a very entrepreneurial spirit. He tried his hand at real estate and rental properties and even opened his own automobile repair shop for a few years.

Rick served his country in the National Guard for 6 years from May 15 1965 – May 3 1971. He was very proud of his service and became a section chief for the lead gun number 1, in A battery.

A theme of excitement and achievement ran through Rick's life, and he literally soared to the highest heights by becoming a private pilot. He was even part owner of his own airplane. He loved to fly it and take care of it and he was a proud member of the flying club.

Hand in hand to Rick's desires for excitement and success, he also had a heart always searching for deep meaning in his life. He found this meaning in the teaching of Buddhism. He loved to learn. Meditation and reflection was something he did daily. Richard even traveled to China with fellow Buddhists to gain a greater understanding of this philosophy.

While Rick had so much excitement throughout his life ,and achievements to be proud of, his most distinguishing characteristic is a genuine love for people. He met people where they were, and wanted to truly know and love them. Rick never met a stranger, wore his heart on his sleeve, and was a true friend to so many. He had an infectious smile, and you could always expect a cheerful word or something to make you laugh.

The term “kid at heart” could often be used to characterize Richard. He enjoyed teaching and being silly with his nieces, nephews and grandchildren. He had no problem getting down and rough housing or jumping on a swing. He enjoyed camping and hiking with his grandkids in his retirement.

It is hard to believe that just one person could fit so much into a single lifetime. Rick was happiest being part of whatever was going on, and just having fun. Rick was a strong man, who was not afraid to go after what he wanted. While he was blessed with good health for most of his life, he bravely faced many health challenges in his last few years. He was a persistent fighter through recovery from multiple strokes, seizures and Parkinson's disease. Richard closed this chapter of adventure with some amazing stories to tell, and passed away with his daughters by his side on September 16th, 2023 at the age of 77.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.finleysunsethills.com for the Hindman family. A celebration of life will be held at Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary, 6801 SW Sunset Highway, Portland, Oregon, 97225 on Sunday, November 19th, at 2pm. For those who wish to express sympathy, consider making a donation to an organization which was very important to him, the Dharma Rain Zen Center (https://dharma-rain.org/give/) in Richard Hindman's name.