Ida M. Hinton

Ida Mae Hinton, 94, of rural Mt. Morris, passed away Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at KSB Hospital in Dixon following a short illness.  Ida was born Jan. 18, 1930 to Mae and James Barber of Roscoe, the third of six children. She was raised on the family farm on Burr Oak Road, helping with farm chores and tending to the family’s sheep and chickens while excelling in her studies as an exceptional student at Hononegah High School.  She married Earl Hinton on Oct. 26. 1948 and moved with his mom and dad (Zola and Shorty) to Pine Creek Township in 1951, first working at the family’s gas station, cafe and cabin rental business across from the White Pines State Park, before raising three daughters at that location after the business closed.  She was a great mom who tended to all of her children’s needs and often sacrificed her own comfort for theirs.  Ida worked as a housekeeper for White Pines Lodge before joining the Kable News Company in Mt. Morris, working there for 31 years before retiring in 2002 when she was 72. She helped create homemade crafts for a booth at the Autumn on Parade for several years and later served as a volunteer for the festival.  In her retirement years she took several train excursions across the western United States with her daughter Dixie and her husband John Werschey and their son, Jacob.  Her youngest daughter, Jeanette, was her caretaker and her “go to” person for anything and everything, including evaluating baking shows and then discussing what was genuine and/or really necessary.  She enjoyed watching all of the wildlife that visited her yard from her front porch, crafted by her son-in-law Monti, her granddaughter Lindsey, and great grandsons Timmy and Mason. And she enjoyed viewing photos of meals created by her grandson, Brian, from his home in Louisiana.  She was an avid reader of the Polo, Oregon, and Mt. Morris weekly newspapers and was especially fond of the historical columns, commenting that she remembered many of the names and events. She also liked to tactfully point out any typo or inaccuracy she discovered anywhere in the paper to her daughter Earleen, who works for those publications.  Ida was also a fan of James Herriott’s “All Creatures Great and Small” reading all the books and also watching the PBS series as well as the Little House on the Prairie collection, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  She is survived by her three daughters, Dixie (John Werschey) of Oregon; Earleen (Terry Thomas) of Oregon; and Jeanette (Monti Peterson) of Mt. Morris; granddaughter Lindsey (Tim Breeden) and their sons, Timmy and Mason of Oregon; grandson Brian Peterson (Molly) and their daughter Whitney of Zachary, Louisiana; grandson Jacob Werschey (Jennifer) of Cincinnati, Ohio; sisters Judy Frowein of Kissimmee, Florida, and Bessie Cipriani of Barstow, California; and numerous nieces and nephews.  A week before her death, Ida took part in a baby shower for her soon-to-be great, great grandson Oliver Ross Breeden, due in January 2025.  She is predeceased by her granddaughter Rachel (Peterson) Maples; husband Earl; sisters Ella Austin and Nancy Bingham; brother Jimmy; infant brothers Eugene and Daniel; and friend/coworker Rose Avey.  Ida was a kind, hard-working, mom whose quick wit, sense of humor and unconditional love will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Several years ago, she was annoyed by a candy maker’s decision to remove the almond from 5th Avenue bars. So, she wrote a letter to the company to express her dissatisfaction, closing it with “I guess it’s goodbye Fifth Avenue hello Butterfinger!”. The company responded with two free coupons for Butterfingers.  Her family and friends can only take comfort in knowing that she and her granddaughter Rachel, will be watching all the wild “critters” and hummingbirds together, laughing once again.  Cremation rites will be accorded. A memorial service will be held at a later date when all the songbirds are back from migration and the flowers are in bloom.