Amos Lavar Hinton (1917 - 2000)

Born 3 May 1917 in Hurricane, Washington, Utah, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Leora (Tolman) Hinton — married 27 Jul 1942 in Manti, Sanpete, Utah, United States

Died 5 Mar 2000 at age 82 in St. George, Washington, Utah, United States

Biography

This profile is part of the Hinton Name Study.

Amos Lavar Hinton was born on May 3, 1917 in Hurricane, Washington, Utah, United States, son of James Maurice Hinton (1891–1966) and Cleesa Cox (1896–1959).^[1]

His siblings were:

• Vonne Hinton (1919–1998)
• Glendon Morris Hinton (1921–2011)
• John M Hinton (1923–1923)
• Elva Hinton (1924–1925)
• Melva Hinton (1924–1925)
• Antone W Hinton (1926–2005)
• Orvan Dean Hinton (1929–2011)
• Robert Dale Hinton (1932–1953)
• Merwin C Hinton (1934–1934)

In 1920, Amos L (3) was in the household of his father, James, in Washington, Utah. ^[2]

In 1930, Amos (13) was in the household of his father, James, in Hurricane, Washington, Utah. ^[3]

Amos (25) married Sarah Leora Tolman (22) (born on January 28, 1920 in Preston, Franklin, Idaho, United States; daughter of Judson Adonirum Tolman and Cecelia Arthema (Durfee) Clark) on July 27, 1942 in Manti, Sanpete, Utah.^[4]

Amos died on March 5, 2000 in St. George, Washington, Utah, aged 82. He was buried in Hurricane City Cemetery, Hurricane, Washington County, Utah.^{[5] [1]}

FamilySearch life sketch

Amos Lavar was the eldest of James Maurice Hinton and Cleesa Cox Hinton’s ten children. His first name was given in honor of Cleesa’s father, Amos, but he was known throughout his life by his middle name, Lavar. He was born May 3, 1917, in the Mormon community of Hurricane, Utah, just eleven years after the town was founded. At about age ten he was struck in the eye by a rubber band and lost the sight in his right eye. Lavar grew to 6’ ½” in height and 150 pounds. The hair of his youth was a light brown, but he soon lost most of it as he aged.

Lavar had many friends growing up, including Ersel Hall, and Clell Covington, but his first cousin, Marion Hinton, was his best friend. Lavar graduated from Hurricane High School (1935) and attended Dixie College before appendicitis interrupted his schooling. Short on funds, he went to work managing a COOP in Hurricane, until being called on a church mission (New England States 1939-1941).

Lavar first met Sarah Leora Tolman at a dance in Hurricane a couple of years prior to his mission. Leora and her sister Jennie had come to Hurricane to assist their stepsister at the birth of a child. Leora and Lavar dated, and wrote letters, for some six years before they finally tied the knot and were married, July 27, 1942, the day before Lavar was drafted into the Army Air Corp. Lavar spent some 3 ½ years in the military, most of which was spent on the east coast. He wasn’t deployed overseas until the spring of 1945—Pacific theatre. Perhaps it was his blindness in one eye that kept him stateside all that time.

After the war, Lavar enrolled at the University of Utah where he completed two terms before Hurricane businessman, E.J. Graff, offered him a position with Graff Mercantile in Hurricane. With family bills mounting, Lavar decided to accept the offer and move to Hurricane (1946), where he remained the rest of his life. Although he loved education and learning, he was never again able to return to college and complete a college education. Lavar worked in the retail grocery business for some twelve years before he applied for and was hired as postmaster in Hurricane. He continued to work part-time at Graff Mercantile while working as postmaster.

Leora was a stay at home mom raising the children, who were: James Lavar Hinton (b. 8/4/1943), David Tolman Hinton (b. 8/29/1945), Donald Ray Hinton (b. 4/16/1947), Richard Wayne Hinton (b. 5/18/1950), Lorene Hinton (Grant) (b. 1/9/1952), Kenneth Allen Hinton (b. 3/16/1954), Clark Tolman Hinton (b. 6/4/1956, twin) and Mark Tolman Hinton (b. 6/4/1956). Lavar retired from employment in 1979 and in his retirement, with Leora, served LDS missions to Kentucky, Denver Colorado, and Wolfe Point Montana.

Religion. Lavar served as a counselor in the Zion Park Stake Presidency (1953 to 1970) and bishop of the Hurricane 2nd Ward (1970-1975) as a scoutmaster, high councilman, ward clerk, and Sunday School teacher. He and Leora also served as temple workers in the St. George Temple for many years. He was an active member of the Church all his life, and his life exemplified the teachings of Christ and the restored gospel.

Talents/Interests/Hobbies. Lavar was a farmer at heart. He loved to plant and grow things. In settling in Hurricane, he purchased an acre lot that allowed space not only for the house but for cows, pigs and chickens, fruit trees and a garden. Whenever he was not at work, he could be found working in the garden or orchard. He loved to experiment with new varieties of grapes, apples, plums, and pears. He also was a repairman. His military training taught him the mechanics of guns and machinery, so he put that knowledge to work at Graff’s store—repairing customer appliances sold at the store. As a youth, he played some basketball, football and did some pole vaulting, but it wasn’t until his boys became teenagers that he really got into sports. He came to all the home Hurricane basketball games and filled out his own scoring sheet and cheered on his sons from the stands. He supplied the family with meat through the annual deer hunt and despite only having vision in one eye, he was an excellent shot with a rifle and regularly bagged his deer.

His service as a member of the stake presidency and his work as city postmaster and manager of E.J. Graff’s grocery store, placed him in a prominent position where he interacted with people far and wide, so, between the years 1953 and 1979, while serving in those positions, Lavar was widely known and respected throughout southern Utah. He also left a large posterity that honors his memory. He was an honest man, one who never uttered a curse word, was a dedicated father and faithful husband. He died, March 5, 2000, after a two year battle with prostate cancer. He is buried next to his wife, Leora, in the Hurricane City cemetery.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19019388/amos-lavar-hinton: accessed), memorial page for Amos Lavar Hinton (3 May 1917–5 Mar 2000), Find a Grave Memorial ID 19019388, citing Hurricane City Cemetery, Hurricane, Washington County, Utah, USA; Maintained by David Hinton (contributor 49501592).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8PG-6PP : accessed 30 May 2023), Amos L Hinton in household of James M Hinton, Washington, Utah, United States; citing , sheet , line , family , NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll ; FHL microfilm .
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH6P-JJC : accessed 30 May 2023), Lavar Hinton in household of James M Hinton, Hurricane, Washington, Utah, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 8, sheet 6B, line 74, family 110, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2424; FHL microfilm 2,342,158.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "United States Western States Marriage Index", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZJ9-NQ7 : 19 October 2018), Amos Lavar Hinton and Sarah Leora Tolman, 1942.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J1BN-C4W : 11 January 2021), Amos L Hinton, 05 Mar 2000; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

See also:

• Amos Lavar Hinton at FamilySearch "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 02 June 2023, 00:45), entry for Amos Lavar Hinton (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:KWC8-5ML ); contributed by various users.