Robert “Bob” Dean Hinton was born on April 8, 1959, in Omaha, Nebraska. At just two months old, he was lovingly adopted by Phyllis (Mallory) and Donald “Dean” Hinton through the Nebraska Children’s Home. His childhood was rooted in the wide-open spaces of Nebraska—first on the Gudmunsen Ranch near Whitman, and later in Alliance—where the rhythm of ranch life shaped a young boy with a strong spirit and a cowboy’s heart. His brother, Brian, was born in January 1968.
Bob grew into a man who loved the land, the people and animals around him, and the stories that connected them. During high school, he was active in rodeo and FFA, and was an avid hunter and reader of western novels. He enjoyed the simple joys brought by ranch work and ranch life. In 1977 he graduated from Alliance High School, and soon after sealed the most important chapter of his life when he married his high school sweetheart, Jorene “Jo” Sutton, on July 25, 1981. Together they built a life filled with love, laughter, and a devotion that carried them through every season.
Bob and Jo made their home at Lost Creek Ranch southeast of Alliance, where they lived and worked until the ranch was sold. They then moved into town and purchased their family home. Bob worked for the Box Butte County Roads Department before changing careers in 1994, when he joined BNSF as a laborer, hostler helper, and coach cleaner.
The couple welcomed their son, Kyle Dean, in May 1990 and their daughter, Kira Lynn, in August 1996. Bob took immense pride in being a father and was a dedicated supporter at every track meet, football game, theater performance, and sporting event. He enjoyed reading firearm and outdoorsman literature, sci-fi novels, hunting, reloading ammunition and sharing the kind of heartfelt wisdom that leaves a lasting mark with almost everyone he met.
In 2015, after a workplace injury, Bob transitioned into the retirement lifestyle—a chapter of life in which he found new passions. He developed a strong passion for politics, mobile gaming, playing Powerball, spoiling all pets, especially his two beloved corgis, Toby and Ollie, and sharing his famous chocolate-chip cookies. His cookies became so popular that he earned the title “the Cookie Man” treasured by scrapbookers, neighbors, and friends throughout the community.
Life offered Bob another unexpected gift: through DNA research, he uncovered the story of his birth family and established connections with few of his ten half-siblings, and countless cousins, aunts and uncles, completing a circle that had been open since infancy. Bob’s greatest joys arrived with the births of his grandsons: Noah Dean in March 2020 and Reece Allen in September 2023.
Bob left this life unexpectedly on December 2, 2025, at the age of 66, passing peacefully in Rapid City, South Dakota, surrounded by the love of his family.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Jo; his son, Kyle (Juli), his grandsons Noah and Reece; his daughter, Kira (Jake Hubbard-Fiancé); his mother-in-law Judy Sutton; sister-in-law Steph (Clyde) Mantooth and niece Josie; brother Brian (Kris) Hinton and niece Katy; and several cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald “Dean” and Phyllis Hinton, and father-in-law Harold Sutton.
A memorial service and celebration of Bob’s life will be announced at a later date. Memorials or donations may be made to the Nebraska Children’s Home or the NRA.
Online condolences may be left at www.batesgould.com with Bates-Gould Funeral Home In charge of arrangements.