Ernestine (Burroughs) Hinz died on November 8, 2007, at her son's home in Redwood Valley, California, at age 91. She had been a resident of Timber Ridge of McKinleyville since its opening in 2004.

Ernestine was born in Santa Clara, California, on September 9, 1916. When she was three years old her family moved to Oakland, and when she was five they moved to Antioch. In the summer after she graduated from elementary school, in 1929, she and her mother and father and two sisters took a trip to Europe, where they visited France, Switzerland, Italy, and England. They were gone for three months. She graduated from Antioch High School in 1933 and from the University of California at Berkeley in 1937 with a Bachelors Degree in English.

After graduation from U.C. she worked as a stenographer at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In 1943 she went to work at the Industrial Accident Commission of the State of California in San Francisco as a hearing reporter. In 1947 she became a court reporter at the Alameda County Court House, where she worked until 1953 in the criminal court presided over by Judge Oliver D. Hamlin, Jr.

In 1953 she married Harlyn Lewis Hinz (son of Adolph and Alma Hinz - born on January 13, 1917, in Manning, Iowa), becoming an instant mother to Harlyn's six-year-old son Tom. Harlyn and Ernestine had three more children: Gregory, Robin, and David. They first lived in San Lorenzo, then in Castro Valley. At the end of 1959 Harlyn was transferred by his employer, Arden Farms, to Los Angeles, and the family moved to Altadena, where they lived until 1976. During the last few years of that time Ernestine worked as a secretary at the Pasadena Unified School District. In 1976 Harlyn was transferred to Seattle, and he and Ernestine moved to Bellevue, Washington. In 1978, Harlyn left his employment with Arden and went to work for Knudsen Corporation in Los Angeles. They kept their home in Bellevue, but moved to South Pasadena to live while Harlyn finished out his working career for Knudsen. Ernestine again worked for the Pasadena School District. In 1982 they both retired, returning to their home in Bellevue, Washington.

In 1995 they moved to Arcata to be near their son Tom and his wife Kathy and their three sons. In December of 2003 Harlyn died, and Ernestine moved into Timber Ridge as soon as it opened.

Ernestine was a member of the Church of the Joyful Healer in McKinleyville.

Besides her husband, Ernestine was predeceased by her mother, Clementine Burroughs; her father, Ernest C. Burroughs; her son, Gregory; her sister, Mildred Partansky; and her nephew, Dick Partansky. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Kathy Hinz of Blue Lake (Redwood Valley); her daughter and son-in-law, Robin and Leonard R. Garner Jr. of Toluca Lake, California; her son, David Hinz of Arcata; her grandsons, Nicholas, Keenan and Aaron Hinz; her grandsons, Clay and Cole Garner; her sister, Dorothy Heinemann; and by several nieces and nephews and grand nieces and grand nephews.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Church of the Joyful Healer, North Coast Environmental Center, SANA, or to the charity of your choice.

A memorial service will be held at Timber Ridge of McKinleyville on Monday, November 12 at 2 pm.