Christopher V. Hinkle

- Christopher V. (Kristaps) Hinkle

Our beloved son, brother, uncle and nephew Christopher V. Hinkle (Kristaps) (53) died of pancreatic cancer on Wednesday, October 23, in Ithaca, NY. Born in New York City, his all-too-short life was packed with a wide range of interests, activities and accomplishments. He grew up in Ithaca, and graduated from Ithaca High School (class of 1984) and with a B.A. from Cornell University in 1989.

But like many second generation immigrant children, he led a parallel life during his early years. entering a Latvian Saturday School at the age of seven, learning the Latvian language and participating in a rich cultural life of Latvian activities.

The exposure to another language also eventually sparked his lifelong passion for languages. He not only became proficient in Latvian, but earned a Master's degree in Latvian language from the University of Western Michigan, and a Master's degree in Russian and Eastern European History from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.  His Russian language was almost accent-free.

Once he discovered immersion language programs in various countries, he combined his love of languages with his love of travel; he went on to learn the basics of Lithuanian, Polish, French and Italian on site, followed by more unusual and difficult languages - Mandarin, Thai, and Burmese. In 1999 he went to Taiwan to immerse himself in Mandarin, and stayed to teach English at the University of Taichung until the devastating earthquake, that made living and working there much more difficult.

He travelled to Latvia in 1986 and 1988 during the breakup of the Soviet Union and worked in the newly independent Latvia as a newspaper correspondent and English instructor for more than four years.

But the most fulfilling part of his life were the twenty years that he lived in Bangkok, Thailand, sharing them with his special friend, Patana Srisuruk. Mostly thanks to her, he regarded Thailand and Bangkok as his home.  He worked first as an English Instructor at the Dhonburi Rajabhat University, but after attaining a M.A. degree in Asian Studies from Cornell University he joined the faculty of Liberal Arts at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University as their Education Expert. His knowledge of languages was extremely valuable whenever foreign academics came to visit the Thai university or in international conferences. Throughout those years he travelled widely both throughout Asia and in Europe.

He loved books. Wherever he went, he accumulated a vast library. And music - he loved classical music and had a discerning taste for various performances and musicians. He was good at swimming, baseball, folk dancing. His vast knowledge on many, many subjects will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He leaves a large hole in the life of all the people, who were close to him.

Chris is survived by his mother, Maija Veinbergs Hinkle; special friend Patana Srisuruk; two brothers: Paul (Christine Costello), and Benjamin (Ann Walker); four beloved nieces: Lillian (Lilly) Jean Hinkle, Kaiva Alexandra Hinkle, Lara Michelle Hinkle and Julia Saffron Hinkle; two uncles: David Currier Hinkle (Patricia Mills), Steven Currier Hinkle (Margie Bowles), and many cousins with their families. His father, Peter C. Hinkle, professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology at Cornell University, predeceased him in May, 2017.

Many thanks to his doctors in Thailand, especially Dr. Tom Pongsathorn and Dr. Piyakarn Watcharenwong and to Dr. Specht and Dr. Ann Costello in Ithaca, as well as to Patana Srisuruk and the teams at Cayuga Cancer Center and Hospicare for the compassionate and thoughtful care that they gave to Chris during his very difficult illness.

There will be a celebration of his life on Saturday, 11:00 a.m. at Bangs Funeral Home, 209 W. Green Street, in Ithaca, NY. Friends may call from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Christopher's memory to the Latvian Diaspora Museum Fund, c/o Marcis Voldins, 131 Langdon St., Newton, MA 02458 or the charity

To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Christopher V. Hinkle, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store .

Saturday, October 26, 2019 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Bangs Funeral Home, Inc. 209 W Green St. Ithaca, New York 14850

Saturday, October 26, 2019 11:00 AM

Bangs Funeral Home, Inc. 209 W Green St. Ithaca, New York 14850