William T. Hincks of Old Lyme, Connecticut, passed away this past Sunday, April 16th 2017. He was 80 years old. William is survived by his wife Claudia Huber Hincks; his three daughters, Caroline Hincks Nicklin, Lisa Rhinesmith Reilly, and Sarah Hincks Pierson; and his son William Huber Hincks. He was the loving grandfather of 8 grandchildren and 2 great- grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife Jane Rhinesmith Hincks. William was born in New Haven, CT, on January 22, 1937, to John Morris Hincks and Olive Birch Hincks (Warner). He had four siblings: Robert Hincks (predeceased), Joan Mead (predeceased), John Hincks, and Birch Milliken. He was a native of Farmington and his summers were spent at the family home in the Pine Orchard section of the Branford shoreline. Growing up, he attended The Westminster School in Simsbury before moving onto Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. He attended Yale University and graduated in 1961 before completing his Masters of Forestry at Yale in 1963. During his years at Yale, he also served in the Marine Corps (1957-1959) and was stationed in Key West as an MP. In his years after Yale, his work took him to the Southern Pacific Railroad in Mount Shasta, CA, before moving to Big Stone Gap, VA, to manage 100,000 acres of land and timber for the Virginia Coal Company. His next move was to Hot Springs, VA, where he supervised the operation and management of forestland for Virginia Hot Springs, Inc. During all of these moves he spent the winter seasons working with the local ski-patrol and snow making operations. He and his daughters moved back to Connecticut for the support of his family during the illness and passing of his wife Jane. He remarried to Claudia Huber Hincks in 1971 and they resided in the communities of Simsbury, Norfolk, and Madison. He worked with his brother, Robert, at Data Management in Farmington as their VP of Sales. As a man of many pursuits, he also worked for the LandVest organization, and took part ownership of a New Haven marina (now the Pequonnock Yacht Club). In his time managing the marina he also owned the Ciglia-Wilson custom rod and tackle shop. Eventually, he returned to Data Management where he worked until his retirement to Old Lyme in 1994. William’s love of all things land and sea were a focus of his life. He was an avid photographer who captured the beauty of the world and people around him. He served as the President of the Madison Land Trust in the early 1990’s and he and Claudia were active members of the North Cove Yacht Club for over 30 years. During retirement, they upgraded from their hobby boat, Poltergeist, to their cruising boat, Illusion, on which they sailed together throughout the Bahama’s and the Intra-Coastal Waterway for more than 20 years. They built wonderful friendships with other like-minded adventurers. In his later years, William was actively involved in remote control sailboat racing. He enjoyed many jovial and intense races of his 914 boat with his friends from the Knee Deep and Dry Pants racing clubs. Through his years, William built strong relationships through his family, friends, and organizations. All who knew him found him to be a deep and compassionate listener and it was not unusual for him to bring up thoughts from previous conversations that he had been mulling over. The people in his life were his greatest love. A memorial service in his honor will be held on June 10th at 2 PM at the North Cove Yacht Club at 111 Sheffield Street, Old Saybrook, CT. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the North Cove Yacht Club Junior Sailing Camp Scholarship Fund (111 Sheffield Street, PO Box 298, Old Saybrook, CT. 06475)
Published in The Hartford Courant from Apr. 19 to Apr. 23, 2017