Eric J. Hinson Obituary (1952 - 2023)

Eric James Hinson passed away suddenly at his home in Robbinston on August 31, 2023. He was born on February 17, 1952 in Presque Isle, Maine to Jay B. Hinson and Jane McLeod Hinson. The family soon moved to Calais where Eric attended Calais Elementary and High School and also spent a year at Lee Academy. He graduated from Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute in the Graphic Arts department. Eric was well known in the Calais area as the owner and operator of Calais Press, Inc. Eric built his business from skills learned while in the service, and sustained the business for nearly forty years, retiring in the summer of 2023. To Eric, printing was more than just a vocation, it was a way to connect with people and provide exceptional service - something he felt the world needed more of. His dedication to getting every job perfect, while sometimes at the expense of time or budget, was non-negotiable to Eric. He didn’t want to put work out into the world unless it added something in terms of function or beauty. He was proud of his work and his business; selling the shop in 2023 and knowing his customers were going to be taken care of was a major accomplishment and bookend to a meaningful career. Public service was also important to Eric. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1972 and was honorably discharged in 1977. During his time in the service he learned the trade of offset and lithographic printing, and was at one time stationed in Hawaii, and was tasked with printing top secret documents. He continued his public service as a Calais City Councillor in 1993 and was appointed, and later elected, as mayor from 1995-1996. He was again elected from 2000-2002. He also served on the Board at Directors at St. Croix Country Club as Clerk for many years. Right alongside him throughout it all, his loving and dedicated wife Beth, made the journey memorable. Eric and Beth were married on a hot July day in 1999 at their home in Robbinston. Their twenty-four years of marriage were spent with family at camp, the Hollingdale family home in Calais, and weekends with their beloved grandchildren. They enjoyed family trips, dinners out, and most of all, spending time together on their hill in Robbinston overlooking Passamaquoddy bay (“God’s country” as he called it). Eric loved nature and all its creatures, and was looking forward to the simple joys of retirement including spending more time with his wife and family especially his grandchildren and his mother, doing yard work, house projects that he would get ‘just right’ and as many rounds of golf at St. Croix Country Club that he could manage. Eric is predeceased by his father, Jay B. Hinson, and father-in-law Philip Hollingdale. He leaves behind his loving wife Beth Hinson, mother, Jane Hinson of Machias, stepmother Karen Hinson of South Carolina, mother-in-law, Gloria Hollingdale of Calais, his son Eric Hinson of Orrington, ME, daughter Jaime Hinson, of Orrington, ME, son Jay N. Hinson of Bucksport, ME, daughter, Ashley Hinson Dhakal and husband Ankit Dhakal of Calais, step-daughter Kristen Fowler and husband Jason Fowler of Baileyville, grandchildren AJ, Anna, Victoria and Lucas Fowler, Kairav and Kiaan Dhakal, Jessie and Kasie Stevenson, Emilie Ireland, brother Chris Hinson of Las Vegas, NV, sister Wendy Leighton of Vienna, ME, brother David Hinson of Yarmouth, ME., sister-in-law Heather and husband Tim Miller, sister-in-law Wendy and husband Daniel Dorchester, Beth’s family whom he considered his second family: Brother-in-law P.J. and wife Jayne Hollingdale, sister-in-law Brenda and husband Jay White, sister-in-law Bonnie and husband John Beck, brother-in-law Mike and wife Sandra Hollingdale, many nieces and nephews and great-grandchildren Waylon, Mark, Sophia and Memphis.