Obituary of Donna M. Hinman

Donna M. Hinman, 66, of Westmoreland, passed away peacefully in her home, January 15, 2026, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Utica on April 10, 1959, a daughter of Richard C. Vaeth and Vera (Beach) Vaeth. Donna grew up in Oriskany and graduated from Oriskany High School in 1977. Donna attended Mohawk Valley Community College during the 1977 to 1978 school year. On August 4^th 1979, she was united in marriage to Richard D. Hinman at St. Stephen's Church in Oriskany, NY. They shared 46 years of marriage.

Donna began her career working at Diversified Case for several years. She worked at the family vegetable farm in Vernon during many summer and fall seasons. Donna eventually found her calling as a day care provider in her own home. Donna’s life touched many lives, especially the very young. She played a significant role in the early lives of over 50 children that she watched in day care, many from infancy to starting school or beyond.

Donna was a very giving person as evidenced by her volunteering activities which include:

• Teaching Catholic Religious education at the Annunciation Church in Clark Mills for about 20 years. Most of her teaching was preparation for first holy communion.
• Annunciation Family Volunteers (AFV): Donna has been supporter and volunteer since the start of the AFV. She worked on fundraising dinners in the pre-prep, during the event itself and probably the hardest part, the cleanup that has to be done when the serving is over.
• Ecumenical server at the Annunciation church
• Alter & Rosary Member: including cleaning church linens, Church cleaning
• Longtime member of the Maennerchor where she worked on many of the annual indoor dining events as well as the annual Bavarian Festival. Most Wednesday mornings throughout the year Donna would make her way to the Maennerchor and join the other weekly volunteers to clean the place from top to bottom.

Donna very much loved the outdoors and was never afraid to get her hands dirty when gardening or camping. She enjoyed primitive camping in quiet surroundings especially in the Adirondacks. Her outdoor pursuits included wilderness camping, mountain climbing, bicycle riding, canoeing and kayaking. Undoubtedly her biggest climb in the Adirondacks was the day she climbed 5 of the high peaks in one day.  Donna loved her kayak and enjoyed all day outings or just a short trip to Forestport to paddle for an hour or so. One of her more memorable trips was about a 50-mile canoe trip on the Raquette river from Long Lake to Tupper Lake including a 1-mile portage. There are very few people who have put a paddle in as many waterways as Donna.

She will be missed by her husband, her four children their spouses and significant others plus her eight grandchildren, Annmarie and Darren Weir of Uxbridge, MA, and their children, Liliana and Bennet Weir, DeForest and Crystal Hinman of Westmoreland, NY, and their children, Adeline, Beatrix and Moses Hinman, Ernest Hinman and Nazgol Lolachi of Los Angeles, CA, and their son Eli Hinman, Elisha Hinman and Shane Lamoree of Scotia, NY, and their children, Lincoln and Charlotte Lamoree; and her sister and brother-in-law, Melissa and Shawn Clark of Myrtle Beach, SC. Donna was predeceased by her parents Richard C. Vaeth and Vera (Beach) Vaeth, her brother Richard C. Vaeth II, and his son Richard C. Vaeth III.

All are invited to call Friday, January 23, 2026, from 4-7pm at Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service, 35 College St., Clinton. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at the Annunciation Church in Clark Mills, NY. She will be buried at Maple Grove Cemetery, Vernon, NY in the spring.

A Celebration of life will follow at the Clark Mills American Legion Post 26 from noon till 3 PM.

The family thanks the nurses from Hospice for their care and support during the last stage of Donna’s life. Special thanks go to Melissa Clark (Donna’s sister), and Donna’s daughters, Annmarie & Elisha who selflessly stayed by her side and supported her in her wish spend the last of her days in her own home.

Please consider donations to Project Purple (Pancreatic Cancer Research) https://www.projectpurple.org in leu of flowers.