Memorial services for Elmer Lee Hinton, Jr., 90, a longtime resident of Roswell who currently resided Portales, will be at 2:00 PM, Thurs., Nov. 16, 2017 at the First United Methodist Church in Roswell, NM. Interment will follow in the First United Methodist Church Garden Columbarium. The family will receive guests at Wheeler Mortuary in Portales on Thurs. evening, Nov. 9, 2017 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
Elmer Lee “E. L.” Hinton was born May 9, 1927 in Encino, NM to the home of Troy Hamman (Kenmore) and Elmer Lee Hinton, and died Nov. 6, 2017 in Portales. Mr. Hinton graduated from high school at New Mexico Military Institute in 1945. Following graduation, he enlisted in the U. S. Air Force and served at the close of World War II as a gunner on B-29’s. After his discharge, he attended UNM, where he studied accounting. He re-enlisted in the Air Force and served during the Korean War. Following his discharge, E. L. attended E. N. M. U. where he completed his accounting degree.
On Feb. 14, 1953 in Causey, he was married to Wanda Jean Gardner. Upon graduation, he took a job as an accountant in Hobbs. In 1960, they moved to Roswell, where he became bookkeeper for Armstrong and Armstrong Road Construction Co. He continued to study and take classes to qualify as a Certified Public Accountant, which he accomplished in the late 1960’s. In 1980, E. L. became a bank auditor for United New Mexico Banks, and then a few years later he went to work for Fidelity Insurance. When the firm sold in the early 1990’s, he decided to retire, and spend his time working as a volunteer for his church. Through the years, he and his wife worked in numerous locations rebuilding and repairing church buildings. Some of them just need general repairs. Some were needing repairs after natural disasters. He also served on the Board for Walk to Emmaus for this area. Mr. Hinton was a faithful member of First United Methodist Church in Roswell.
He is survived by two sons, Troy Hinton and Alan Hinton both of Portales; four grandchildren, Lauretta Faye (Chancey) Dozier, James Hinton, Lee Hinton and Evan (Amanda) Hinton; and six great-grandchildren and another expected shortly. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, John and Herman Hinton, a sister, Evelyn Swenson, and by a daughter-in-law, Debbie Hinton
