Gary Hines

On the afternoon of September 19, 2025, Gary Hayden Hines passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, four days shy of his 93rd birthday.

Gary was born to Louise Blackford Hines and T. Sewell Hines on September 23, 1932 in Billings, MT. He cherished his childhood growing up in Billings with his older brother Lew and younger brother Tom. We won’t go into detail about the trouble those 3 boys got into. He graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1950 where he played on the basketball team. He briefly attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, before heading back to Missoula to attend business school at the University of Montana.

He joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, his reason being they had the best food of all the fraternities. It was in Missoula that he met his college sweetheart and future wife, Audrey Johnson, by chance at a Tri-Delta function. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1954 and subsequently enlisted in the army. After a brief stint in Maryland, Gary found himself on a 30-day journey by boat to Korea. He spent two years working as the manager of a non-commissioned officer’s club. In civilian language - he was the beer guy. Only Gary could land that job. In 1957, he returned to Billings and married Audrey. They were married for 64 years before her passing.

At the same time, he joined his dad and two brothers in running the family business, Hines Motor Supply. They successfully grew and expanded the business until it was sold in 1997. If you asked Gary what his proudest moment was during his career, he would say it was when he convinced Sewell, Lew, and Tom to let him found and build a wholesale distribution warehouse. In 1979, Keystone, Inc. was built in West Billings, and Gary oversaw its wholesale (or as he referred to it, “jobber”) operations for 18 years.

Though he worked hard at the helm of Keystone, Gary was not a one trick pony! He was a loving father to his four children, and his family was very important to him. Many summer weekends were spent piling his small but growing family into his Suburban and heading to our cabin near Red Lodge, MT - a place he built with his dear friend Jim Jacques. It was a magical time where he taught his kids how to fish, build bonfires, and ride a minibike. He was a Cub Scout Master, a baseball and basketball coach, rarely missed hunting season, and looked forward to his semi-annual fishing trip with his dad and brothers. He was as generous as they come and was always thinking of others. He actively participated with youth groups and provided employment for people who needed a second chance. He was a long-standing member of St. Pius X Catholic Church and served on their finance committee. Most recently, he joined Apostles Lutheran Church where Pastor Jay became a cherished friend.

He was not only a wonderful father, son, brother and grandparent, he left a positive impact on every person he met. He always had a smile on his face. He had the unique ability to lift the mood in the room simply with a funny facial expression or his dry sense of humor. He had us all laughing mere days before he passed. He came into this world smiling and joking and left this world smiling and joking. He inadvertently taught us so many wonderful lessons just by being…Gary. There is no one quite like him, and we are all so grateful that he was ours to love.

Gary is survived by his wife, Dolores, who he married in 2023; his brother Tom (Sandy) Hines; his children (or, as he liked to say, his “chillins”) Wendy Hines, Rick Hines, Debbie (Erik) Kola, and Diane (Steve) Schneider; his 8 grandchildren: Shaylene, Brianne, Cierra, Aiden, Mason, Stella, Riley, and Austin; and 2 great-grandchildren, Oliver and Sophia. And he was very close to Dolores’s son Doug (Maria) and their son Ramsey. He also leaves behind his beloved dog, Champ, who Gary hopes he will see again in heaven. Gary is preceded in death by his first wife, Audrey, and his older brother, Lew, both of whom left us in 2022.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge and thank the wonderful caregivers from Cornerstone Caregiving who tended to our dad with tremendous care and compassion over the past few months.

Services will be held on Monday, October 6, 2025, at 11 AM with military honors and a light lunch to follow at Apostles Lutheran Church, located at 3140 Broadwater Ave in Billings. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Apostles Lutheran Church or the Montana Rescue Mission.

“Now, I’m going to go to bed so all you good folks can go home.” Rest well, Gary. We love you.