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“How are you, ole buddy?”

These were usually the first words out of Ida Hinkle’s mouth when she approached a friend, and they were often accompanied by a smile or a hug.

Ida Hinkle was one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever known. She was simple, honest, hardworking, compassionate, and everyone’s neighbor.

Ida, a former Hampton resident, died February 4 at the age of 93.

Many remember Ida from her days of working at the Farm Service Agency in Elizabethton. For the longest time, it was located on E Street, where the parking lot of Elizabethton Federal is now located.

Ida was willing to do anything for anyone who needed help. She would mow your yard if she could, go to the store for you, and if you needed an errand run, Ida would do it.

“I’m old-fashioned, but I can’t help it. I’m older than dirt,” she once said when asked to explain herself. Often seen riding around town in an old green 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier that was given to her by her son, Tim.

However, Ida’s trademark, following her retirement, was her headrag. She once explained, “I wear it because my hair is so thick and is hot hanging down,” she explained.

Before the Chevrolet Cavalier, Ida for many years drove a 1988 Chrysler her husband bought for her. “I liked that old car, but my son thought I needed a newer model,” she shared. To Ida, the old Chrysler was special, and she took good care of it, often cleaning the windshield and spots on the car between stops. Ida knew almost everyone in Carter County and was full of stories from her days working at the former Farm Service Office in Elizabethton. She worked at the Elizabethton office for 48 years.

Ida didn’t always live locally. She grew up in a small community two counties south of Chicago. Her daddy, Irvin Goodwin, was one of 15 children, and his family owned a farm near where Watauga Lake is now. His mother was a widow at 55. The oldest boy went to Illinois, got a job working on the railroad, and worked and saved enough money to pay the way for his brothers to come north and work. One of 11 children, Ida came to Hampton after graduating from high school. She had applied for a scholarship to the University of Illinois, but when she didn’t receive it, she decided to strike out on her own. Ida’s father had a thresher. She and her brothers and sisters not only worked their farm but threshed oats for other people. She had a twin sister, and in a former story about her, she shared that her dad told her and her sister if they worked hard and got the threshing done on time, he would buy them a train ticket to come to Tennessee to see relatives. Ida came and ended up staying in Hampton, where she met and married James “Buster” Hinkle. They had been married for 46 years when he died in 1994. The couple had two children, Tim and Tamara.

Ida, when she worked at the ASCS office, was different from the Ida you saw in later years. She dressed professionally, had long dark locks of hair, which were always neatly combed, and was very friendly and helpful to everyone who came into the Farm Service office. She once explained, “As you get older, you get more carefree and you go for comfort over looks.”

However, she continued to help others and lend a helping hand wherever she went.

Ida was a longtime member of Union Baptist Church but was raised a Methodist. She noted that the Methodist church was the only kind of church around where she lived in Illinois. She once shared, “My daddy taught us about the Baptists. We didn’t get to use the Bible much because Dad was afraid we would tear it up. Then, a man came around, and if we memorized so many verses, he gave us a New Testament. Over and over, I read John 3:16. After reading that verse, I gave my life to the Lord.”

“That was a long time ago, and I’ve tried to live for the Lord ever since,” Ida shared during a visit several years ago to the STAR.

Ida tagged herself with the nickname “Barney Fife,” after she helped solve a theft by her alertness and keeping an eye out for unusual “goings-on” and strange people in her neighborhood. She would often tell people, “I keep my bullet in my pocket.”

Her best advice: “Live for the Lord and don’t have a proud look.”

When the Lord speaks of being “salt of the earth,” He no doubt had people like Ida Hinkle in mind. She’s a very savory person and among the best in our community.

I, like a lot of others, was glad to call Ida Hinkle my ole buddy. She’s one of the best people I’ve ever known.

Up until about a year ago, she often would send me a card or note in the mail. Someday, I just know that I will see Ida Hinkle again.