Thomas J. Hines

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date for Thomas J. Hines, 71, of Utica, who passed away March 18 at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Tom was born January 28, 1951, in Zanesville, Ohio, to the late Leo and Jane (Brandon) Hines.

Among his many interests, Tom loved spending time with his family whether it was hiking, camping, or playing cards around the kitchen table. Tom enjoyed family visits to national parks as well as travel to interesting places, including parasailing above Grace Bay beach in the Turks and Caicos. This past summer, Tom hiked to the summit of Mount Washington with his three sons and on previous trips, climbed to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, as well as various peaks in the Presidential Range in New Hampshire. While Tom came up just short of his goal to visit all 50 states, he enjoyed planning a trip to Alaska and had looked forward to seeing Denali and grizzly bears in the wild. Further demonstrating his adventurous nature, Tom greatly enjoyed a skydiving adventure as well as futile attempts to convince his family members to join him in jumping out of a perfectly fine plane.

Tom enjoyed a lifelong passion of reading, from visits as a young child to the local store in Somerset when his mother would let him pick out a book of choice. Tom shared this interest with his family and often would inquire, what books are you reading now? In his free time, Tom could often be found with a good book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Another passion was coaching youth sports teams including basketball, but he primarily enjoyed coaching baseball for over three decades, including nearly a decade as the varsity baseball coach at Northridge High School. However, when it came to sports, nothing topped Tom's interest in the Ohio State Buckeyes football and basketball teams, dating back to his abbreviated time as a student there prior to OSU's campus shutting down as the war in Vietnam escalated. During his younger years, Tom enjoyed golf and took pleasure in showing his sons the sign at Nomis golf course commemorating his hole-in-one there. More recently, Tom enjoyed attending Columbus Blue Jackets games as a season ticket holder.

Any discussion with Tom about his life's achievements would start with his marriage to his loving wife Connie, with whom he celebrated a fiftieth wedding anniversary this past summer. While facing challenges presented by the pandemic, Tom managed to keep spirits high by organizing weekly family takeout lunches and near daily spirited card games of "Shanghai" which was his favorite game. Tom and Connie enjoyed sitting outside on either their front porch or rear deck, enjoying various species of birds including rare sightings of Baltimore orioles.

While family was his top priority, Tom enjoyed a long career starting first as a crane operator at Buckeye Steel Castings before moving on to other manufacturing positions. Tom later decided he could best utilize his experience and skills at the family janitorial services company, where he worked for over a decade.

Tom is greatly missed by his family, who fondly remember the brighter and more lively days when he was amongst them. He is also missed by canine family members Roscoe, Zoe, and Tilly, whose vigorous tail wagging warmed Tom's heart.

Tom is survived by his wife of fifty years, Connie (Etling) Hines; sons, David (Theresa) Hines of MD, Timothy Hines of Utica, and Matthew Hines of Utica; brother, Jack (Nina) Hines of AZ; sister, Joy (Delbert) Smith of Mt. Perry; sister-in-law, Lou Hines of Newark; grandson, Camden Hines of MD; and several nieces.

In addition to his parents, Tom was preceded in death by his brothers, Rex, Max, and Larry "Buck" Hines; sister Janie Hines; two nephews, and one niece.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Faith Mission Homeless Shelter & Services.

To sign an online guest book, please visit www.law-bakerfuneralhome.com