Helen Henderson Hinton

Following a life well-lived on three continents, Helen Henderson Hinton died peacefully at her home in Asheville, NC on December 6, 2025. She was born March 25, 1953, in Little Rock, AR and spent most of her formative years in Augusta, GA. Helen was buried at Green Hills Cemetery, Asheville, wrapped in an Indian shroud and placed in a hand-woven willow casket overlaid with flowers. This honored her wish for a natural burial that reflected her love of nature.

Helen was a beautiful, intelligent, dignified woman who retired in Asheville after living abroad for 10 years (France and Japan). Wherever she lived she nourished long-term friendships and wrote enduring quirky poems for friends. Her love of wine and fine dining was matched by the pride she took in preparing multi-course meals for friends and family. She had mastered the simple grace of a delicious dinner paired with good conversation—turning an ordinary evening into a cherished memory. She held unconditional love for her dogs (Snoop, Gussie and Kiya), was insanely proud of her son (whom she raised as a single mom) and adored her two grandkids. Cycling on rails-to-trails brought her joy, as did her regular exercise classes at the YMCA. In retirement, Helen helped others by volunteering as a Guardian Ad Litem. She found delight in her morning ritual of sipping coffee, watching who visited the bird feeder, and challenging herself with word games. These daily habits reflected Helen’s ability to turn simple moments into treasured experiences.

Helen held an MBA with over 30 years’ experience in program administration, training, technical writing and auditor within the nuclear industry. She served as a member of the Department of Energy’s Facility Evaluation Board. The highpoint of her career was working for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international nuclear research and engineering project located in the south of France. The goal of ITER is to design and demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power. At ITER she was the point of contact for seven domestic agencies (European Union, China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the US) and for the coordination of their monthly meetings to discuss and resolve technical and managerial issues related to project schedule, scope, and cost. Additionally, she led quality assurance audits for ITER in France, Russia, Spain, and the U.S.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Jean Edsel Henderson and Philip S. Henderson. She is survived by her husband of 17 years, Thomas Hinton, son, Zack Jones, daughter-in-law, Ashley Jones, and grandchildren, Clark and Sutton Jones (all of Asheville), brother, Victor Henderson and sister-in-law, Barbara Henderson (Half Moon Bay, CA), brother-in-law, Phillip Hinton and sister-in-law, Deborah Hinton (Guntersville, AL) nieces, Stephanie Henderson (Culver City, CA), Nicole Goldberg (North Hollywood, CA), Rachael Hinton (Chattanooga, TN), Frieda Werkmeister (Guntersville, AL), Halley Hinton (Franklin, NC) and Chelsea Kaminski (Guntersville, AL), and nephews, Gregory Henderson (Rolling Hills Estates, CA) and Geoffrey Henderson (Fayetteville, NY). 

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