Kelly Hinton

Kelly Hinton, age 66, of Ellendale, North Dakota, passed away on September 3, 2026. He was born on December 11, 1959.

Kelly was a man of deep faith, creativity, generosity, and many talents. His life was shaped by his love for God and family, his work with food, his enjoyment of music, and an imagination that was always looking for something to build, fix, or create.

Food and restaurant work were significant parts of Kelly’s life from an early age. He grew up around his father’s restaurant business, where he was exposed to the tradition of soul food and learned the value of hard work, hospitality, and serving others through food. Later, he learned how to cook barbecue from his father-in-law. Those two family influences came together in Kelly’s own cooking and businesses, allowing him to carry forward traditions from both sides of his family.

Over the years, Kelly owned and operated several food businesses, including Kelly’s in a Hurry Grill in Beloit, Wisconsin. His most recent venture, America Homeland Revival Ribs, began as a restaurant and later continued for much of its life as a mostly stationary food trailer. More recently, he was able to operate the business from a building once again.

Food was also one of the ways Kelly cared for people. His children remember waking up to breakfasts he had prepared, sometimes with biscuits or pancakes, bacon, eggs, and grits. They remember family meals, homemade pizzas for birthdays, cakes baked in one of the largest pans they ever knew, and his ability to stretch a meal when resources were limited.

Kelly also taught his children practical skills in the kitchen. One daughter remembers learning from him at a young age how to cut and fry chicken. What had once made her nervous became something she grew confident doing because her father took the time to teach her.

His generosity extended beyond his own household. Even while earning his living through food, Kelly willingly shared it with others and did not like to see anyone go hungry.

Kelly’s working life was not limited to restaurants. At different times, he also worked as a custodian, in warehouses, and for businesses including Radio Shack, Simmons, and Sears. Whatever the work, he was persistent about providing for his family and finding a way forward.

Kelly was gifted with his hands and naturally inclined to look at a problem and figure out a solution. He was resourceful by nature—comfortable improvising, repairing, and creating with whatever was available to him.

That ability showed itself early. While in high school, Kelly won first place in woodworking shop. Around that same time, he built his own speakers and sound system. Remarkably, those speakers and components remained with him throughout his life. Years later, he and his son built additional speakers together and expanded that same system, connecting one of Kelly’s earliest interests with a shared father-and-son experience decades later.

Kelly also enjoyed cars and working on them. In his later years, it was not unusual for him to have five or six vehicles around.

At one point, he took a simple 6-by-10-foot trailer bed and transformed it into a rolling enclosed trailer with bump-outs and storage at the front. It was homemade and unconventional, but that was part of what made it so distinctly Kelly: an idea came into his mind, and he found a way to make it real.

His 1989 Chevrolet Suburban was another unforgettable example. Wanting to make sure he could be seen while driving the rural highways of North Dakota at night, Kelly added lights all over the outside of the vehicle. He even installed actual bus lights on the rear and placed a swan-shaped light at the very front tip of the hood. It was practical, unconventional, creative, and unmistakably his.

His children also remember the practical ways he showed up for them. On winter mornings, he would start the van, move snow, and do whatever was necessary to get them to school.

They remember one particularly frightening trip home from Wisconsin during a severe winter storm. As the vehicle slid and came dangerously close to tipping off the road, he led the family in calling on the name of Jesus. They made it through safely, and the experience remained a vivid family memory.

Kelly took seriously his responsibility to protect and guide his children. One son remembers being bullied by two boys in fifth grade. When Kelly learned what was happening, he contacted the father of the main boy involved and invited the father and son to meet them at his restaurant on Fourth Street. They ate together, spent time together, and talked through the conflict. The situation was resolved, and before long the boys became good childhood friends. It was a memorable example of Kelly addressing a problem directly while seeking understanding rather than simply confrontation.

Music was another important part of Kelly’s life. He loved speakers and sound systems, but he also loved making music himself.

He especially enjoyed playing the bass guitar. His son, who played the drums, taught Kelly how to play bass, and the two of them would play together.

Music was woven throughout family life. Kelly would sing in the car and sing songs to his children. Road trips could turn into entertainment when Kelly began rapping over instrumentals, creating memories his children still laugh about.

One daughter remembers being about five years old when Kelly taught her a simple two-step while they danced to James Brown’s “Get on the Good Foot.” It was a small moment, but one that stayed with her and still makes her smile.

Kelly also encouraged music in his children’s lives, including buying his youngest daughter a viola for her 16th birthday.

Church music held a particularly special place in Kelly’s heart. He loved the songs he heard in churches in Beloit and Chicago, and when he had the opportunity, he enjoyed standing and singing with the older men of the church. The fellowship, worship, and tradition of those songs meant a great deal to him.

Kelly could sometimes be reserved and keep to himself, but he took his role as a father seriously. He wanted his children to do the right thing, handle their responsibilities, and learn how to conduct themselves. When correction was needed, he gave it. He could be methodical and firm, but behind that guidance was a desire to see his children become responsible people of character.

When something captured Kelly’s heart, however, the reserved side of him could disappear. He would light up with a big smile and an unmistakable enthusiasm, especially when talking about God, Scripture, a business idea, or something he hoped to create.

Kelly was a dreamer. He had big ideas and a vivid imagination. At one point, he even designed an entire amusement park centered around faith and the Bible. Although the park was never built, the idea itself captured something about him: Kelly was willing to imagine far beyond what was immediately in front of him.

As a younger man, Kelly enjoyed martial arts and boxing. He appreciated dressing well, especially in business-casual and formal clothing, and enjoyed fine dining when he had the opportunity.

Kelly attended college for approximately two years, studying Business and minoring in English. Although he did not complete his degree, his interest in learning, business, writing, communication, and ideas continued throughout his life.

At the center of Kelly’s life was his faith in God and his love for the Word of God.

Kelly became an ordained minister and loved to preach. He did not pastor a church of his own, but whenever a pastor gave him an opportunity to step behind the pulpit and share a word, Kelly was ready. At one point, his preaching also reached local television in Beloit through Kelly Hinton Ministries, allowing his family and others to watch him preach from home.

Kelly truly had the Word of God hidden in his heart. He often preached without notes, moving from Scripture to Scripture from memory and connecting passages and biblical truths as he spoke.

His preaching was full of energy. He raised his voice, sang, encouraged, exhorted, and sometimes used visual illustrations to help people understand his message. What people heard was not simply volume, but conviction, excitement, and joy in what he believed.

Some of the messages he preached included “Never Give Up, Never Give In,” “Ask, Seek, and Knock,” “Rejoice in the Lord,” and “Spirit, Soul, and Body.” They reflected themes he returned to often: perseverance, prayer, faith, joy, spiritual growth, and trust in Jesus Christ.

The same faith Kelly expressed from the pulpit was present in his home. He led his family in prayer, shared Scripture before meals, and gathered them for Bible study. At times, everyone around the table was expected to share a different Bible verse before they ate.

For his children, those moments became increasingly precious as they grew older. One daughter reflected that some of her favorite memories of her father were simply gathering together, hearing him pray, and listening to the Word of God spoken in their home. Looking back, she wished she could sit with him again and study the Bible together.

Kelly’s faith was not confined to sermons or church services. It was present around the dinner table, on frightening roads, in conversations with his children, and in the hopes and ideas he carried throughout his life.

He leaves behind a family who remembers not only what he accomplished, but the particular ways he was their father: the meals he made, the things he taught, the problems he tried to solve, the music and laughter he shared, the Scripture he spoke, and the faith he lived before them.

Kelly is survived by his wife, Patricia Lynn Osborne Hinton; his children, Kellicia Carr (Chevar), Kelly Geister-Hinton (Christine), Kellexus Hinton, Kellrhema Udoetuk (Adam), and Kelle’mon Hinton (Caroline); his brother, James Hinton (Jamane); and his sister, Vanessa Williams (Ricky).

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Alberta Green-Hinton; his brothers Ray Jr. Hinton, Stanley Hinton, Gregory Hinton, and Kenneth Hinton; and his brother-in-law, Vallmer Wayman Jordan.

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” — Romans 10:10–13

Visitation is 1-2pm Friday, September 11, 2026 at Hoven Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at Ellendale City Cemetery. Arrangements by Hoven Funeral Chapel, Ellendale.