Caroline “Carol” Hinman, 80 died Monday, April 10 at MercyOne North Iowa, Mason City.
Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 14 at. St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 1207 3rd St. NE, Belmond. Father Jerry Blake will officiate.
Visitation will be 5:30 – 7 p.m., Thursday, April 13 at Andrews Funeral Home, 516 1st St. SE, Belmond, and will continue one hour before the funeral at the church on Friday. The service will be live-streamed on the Andrews Funeral homes Facebook page. Just like the page to view.
Caroline Shirley Gesinski was born on New Year’s Eve of 1942 in the home where her parents, Edward and Esther Gesinski, and brother, Jerry, lived in Milwaukee, Wis. As a young girl, she enjoyed ice skating and being with her friends, and later helping to take care of her younger sister, (and destined to be her best friend) Nancy. She graduated from Pulaski High School in Milwaukee, maintaining close friendships with her high school girlfriends for the rest of her life. After high school she worked at a Milwaukee candy factory, and then at Cutler Hammer.
Carol met Bob Hinman when Bob was in the U.S. Army, stationed in nearby Brown Deer, Wis. After six months of courtship, they married on June 13, 1964, at the Basilica of Saint Josaphat in Milwaukee. Their wedding celebration lasted three days, and with good reason as their long and happy marriage proved. For the next year, they lived in Milwaukee, where they had their first child, Pam, in 1965.
The city life wasn’t for him so he moved his family to his home area. Carol, a lifelong city girl, found herself in Goodell, a town of about 200 people where she was a stranger. She immediately began making a home there, taking care of Pam and helping Bob on the farm, and making new friends.
In 1968, Carol and Bob had a son, Jeff. The family moved to a farm outside of Klemme where they lived until 2010. During those years, Carol continued helping Bob with farming and later worked at the Great Plains Lumber Yard and the Klemme Co-op. The city gal took to the country life and enjoyed having a large garden and working outside.
Carol and Bob made family and friends their priorities. They took them on fishing trips to Canada. They went on motorcycle trips. Carol loved camping in their trailer. She was adventurous, never shying away from a new experience or challenge. That continued throughout her life, including a trip to New York with Pam, experiencing the biggest U.S. city and enjoying a night at a Broadway show.
After farming, Carol and Bob moved to the Klemme Apartments. She faithfully took care of Bob when his health began failing. After his death in 2010, she showed true strength in moving forward without her partner.
In 2020, Carol moved into Belle Haven in Belmond. She soon made a whole new group of friends whom she enjoyed getting to know and spending time with.
Family was her greatest joy, spending time with her children and their spouses, and her grandchildren. Ike, Jessica and Lisa were always first and foremost in her mind. She was so happy and excited to meet her great-grandchild, Westlyn Rose Tass, in 2022.
She spent many Saturday mornings with Jeff, talking about the week’s activities over coffee and doughnuts. Jeff said he will miss her diligence of writing down every time he got done planting corn and beans, and harvesting, and all her advice she would give along the way.
The last words of guidance Carol gave Jeff was on Sunday when he told her he might plant corn this week. She said “I think that’d be a good idea,” then looked up at him and added “Just don’t go like a bat out of hell.”
Carol was the strongest person we knew. She always said, “Life’s great kid, if you don’t weaken.” Diagnosed many years ago with Parkinson’s disease and having other health issues in later years, she maintained a positive attitude and always found a way to laugh — always.
It is no exaggeration to say she was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. She was proud of the people her children and grandchildren became, and you can see her in them.
Carol always put others ahead of herself, which was just the way she wanted it. Wisconsin’s loss was Iowa’s gain.
Carol was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother Jerry, and sister Nancy. Survivors include her children Pam Hinman (Mike Hlas), Cedar Rapids, and Jeff Hinman (Tamara) of Belmond, grandchildren Ike Brunette of Sheboygan, Wis., Jessica Tass (Joe) of Bondurant, Lisa Hinman of Clear Lake, and Dylan Schlader of Rockwell, great-granddaughter Westlyn Tass, and nieces and nephews.
We’d like to thank everyone at Belle Haven and the doctors and nurses in the Critical Care Unit and Cardiology Floor at MercyOne North Iowa for all the care and consideration extended to Mom.
Donations can be made in Carol’s honor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741. www.andrewsfuneralhomeandfloral.con
