MOSES LAKE - Longtime Moses Lake firefighter Robert "Bob" Gail Hinshaw died Tuesday morning at his home in Moses Lake.

He was 75.

Hinshaw was born in Mt. Vernon, Ore., to Charles and Lola Hinshaw, and raised in Grant County, Ore., graduating from Mt. Vernon High School in 1955, according to his family.

He served in the U. S. Air Force after graduation and moved to Moses Lake in 1960, where he met and married Margaret Ronken in 1963.

His wife survives him along with sons, Carey Hinshaw and Roger Hinshaw, Moses Lake; sister, Shirley Porfily, Stanfield, Ore., and 10 grandchildren; two great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Hinshaw loved spending time with his family and hunting in eastern Oregon as well as fishing everywhere, according to his family.

He was a member of the Moses Lake Eagles Lodge 2622 and enjoyed flying, especially to Alaska and Minnesota, having earned his pilot's license in 1964.

Another thing Hinshaw enjoyed was his chosen career path.

In 1989 he retired as a captain with the Moses Lake Fire Department, but he continued to be an active volunteer firefighter with Grant County Fire District 5 for many years.

Described as a "dedicated firefighter" by Moses Lake Fire Chief Tom Taylor, Hinshaw stayed interested in the field long after retirement.

"He would come down on a regular basis for coffee and a chat," Taylor said.

"Bob was a guy who breathed, ate and lived fire service," said David Helms, who worked with Hinshaw at the Moses Lake Fire Department. "Fire fighting was his life."

Helms started with the Moses Lake Fire Department in 1979, when Hinshaw was a shift lieutenant. Hinshaw was a good guy to have on your side during a fire call, he said.

"He was on top of things," Helms said. "He always looked after his crew and was well aware of individuals and what they were doing."

Fire District 5 Battalion Chief Rick Wentworth said he came onboard as a young volunteer in 1979, when Hinshaw was well into his career with the Moses Lake Fire Department, but the two did eventually worked together.

"He had a lot of experience and knowledge and was more than happy to share it, whether you wanted him to or not," Wentworth said with a chuckle. "I was a younger guy trying to learn things and Bob would pass things on I'd never thought about."

While some of the experience came out of a different time, Wentworth said he always appreciated Hinshaw's help.

"Some of it may have been antiquated but when you look back at it, you still have to get the wet stuff on the red stuff," Wentworth said. "I always enjoyed his knowledge and his company over the years. He was a real good friend."

Memorial Services are at 3 p.m. Aug. 10 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, at 1020 S A St. in Moses Lake.

Memorial donations may be made to the Shriner's Hospital, P.O. Box 2472, Attn: Memorial Dept., Spokane, WA 99210.

Arrangements are in care of Kayser's Chapel and Crematory, Moses Lake.