‘People loved her’: Gladys Hinkle remembered for community activism in Apple Valley
Rene Ray De La Cruz- Gladys Hinkle, a longtime resident of Apple Valley, California, passed away on January 24th at the age of 86.
- Hinkle was an active member of the Church of the Valley and worked for the Ben Hinkle Realty group.
- A celebration of life will be held in her honor on March 29th at the Church of the Valley in Apple Valley.
The life of High Desert volunteer and realty empire family member Gladys Lucille Hinkle will be remembered during a memorial service this month at Church of the Valley.
Her son, Greg Hinkle, told the Daily Press that a celebration of life and reception for Gladys is scheduled at 2 p.m. March 29, at Church of the Valley in Apple Valley.
“My mom was so involved in church and people loved her,” Greg Hinkle said. “This upcoming service will give people in the High Desert a chance to stop by and celebrate my mom’s life.”
A resident of Apple Valley, Gladys, 86, died on Jan. 24, and was laid to rest during a family service in February in Westminster.
Her family said Gladys will be missed for her hugs, her determination and kindness, “but those qualities live on in all of us.”
Helping the High Desert expand
Before her days of volunteering at church, Gladys was involved in the High Desert population boom of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, as she worked for the once-popular Ben Hinkle Realty group that was formed in the early 60s.
Gladys worked at Ben Hinkle offices in Apple Valley and Victorville and watched the company expand with locations in Hesperia and Big Bear.
She and her late husband, James Raymond Hinkle Sr., the brother of Ben, worked at the real estate office until its closing in the late 90s.
Gladys was born in March 1938 in Mississippi and was the youngest of seven children to Vernon and Laura Belle Huggins.
In 1958, Gladys and her family moved to Southern California where she worked as a telephone operator and movie theater attendant.
‘Love and laughter’
Her family said that in 1959, Gladys walked into a Western Auto store and later walked out with four new tires and her future husband, Jim.
Jim had attended Garden Grove High School, where he played varsity basketball and varsity baseball. In 1952, while attending Santa Ana Junior College, he played in the Junior College World Series.
“Gladys was a very hard working and loving mom, as Jim was a traveling salesman and she raised three kids in a home full of love and laughter,” her family said.
Gladys’ family moved from California to New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Colorado before moving back to the Golden State in 1976.
She spent most of her time making sure her kids made it to baseball, basketball, and cheer practice and to games, her family said.
Church, family life
She attended Church of the Valley with her children, Greg and Cindy, and began volunteering after she retired from Ben Hinkle Realty.
At church, Gladys answered phones, worked in the Crisis Ministry, helped to distribute food to the needy, managed the bulletin crew, worked with ushers and was part of the greeting ministry.
Her husband, Jim, 69, died on Oct. 1, 2002.
Gladys and Jim are survived by children, Jim Jr., Greg and Cindy; her grandchildren Matt, Sara, Jerry, Hallie and Breanna; and six great-grandchildren
Church of the Valley is located at 20700 Standing Rock Ave. in Apple Valley.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz