John Strickland Hinze

John Strickland Hinze, of Unionville, passed away peacefully at home on March 15, 2025 at the age of 78, with family by his side.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, John was the son of John Strickland, Jr., and Florence Barz Strickland (Hinze). After losing his father during the Korean War, John, his mother, and his sister Linda moved back to Pennsylvania from California, where Florence later met and married Henry Hinze. Henry adopted John and his sister, and together they welcomed another daughter, Diane, completing their loving family.

John attended West Chester High School, where he met the love of his life, Brenda McCarter. Their love story spanned more than 56 years of marriage, built on devotion, laughter, and an unwavering commitment to family, raising their two children, Kelly and Sean.

John’s childhood was full of adventure and curiosity, shaping him into the lifelong problem-solver so many knew and loved. As a young teenager, John assembled a motorcycle that his dad had packed away in boxes in the garage from his days of racing. After just one test ride, his dad confirmed that everything was correctly assembled, and he was cleared to ride! John’s time spent zipping through farm fields around West Chester on a dirt bike sparked a lifelong passion for building and fixing things. 

John attended The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and was on the rifle team. He answered the call to serve his country in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Panama and later in Washington, D.C. While in Panama he decided to purchase a Triumph motorcycle and realized he could get it delivered the fastest if he became the Triumph distributor for Central America. Not long after the crate arrived with his shiny new Trophy 650, he ended his short-lived time as a salesman, having imported just one motorcycle…for himself.

After serving, John started his career as a machinist building all sorts of interesting things from Bell helicopters, to large scale munitions for the U.S. Government, and later retiring from Rohm and Haas chemical company in Newark, Delaware. In his free time, John enjoyed target shooting, working around the house and yard, and reading.

A devoted father and grandfather, John was always very supportive of his children’s and grandchildren’s activities and was quick to share knowledge and advice gained from a love of reading. John was a friend everyone could count on and would literally stop anything he was doing to lend a helping hand to others. His generous spirit and quiet wisdom left a lasting impact on all who knew him. 

John is survived by his loving wife, Brenda; his daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Jude Wessels; his son and daughter-in-law, Sean and Marsha Hinze; and his cherished grandchildren, Ryan, Carson, Macy, Carys, and Rhys. He is also survived by his sisters and brothers-in-law, Diane and William Moore, and Linda and James Allen. He will be deeply missed but forever remembered for his kindness, service, and the love he shared with his family and community.

Relatives and friends are invited to his visitation on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 10:00 am - 10:45 am at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, Inc. 410 North Church Street West Chester, PA 19380, followed by his Funeral Service at 11:00 am.

Interment will be in Birmingham Lafayette Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Fund for the Abramson Cancer Center in John’s memory.