Eagle Finegan
People throughout Gulfport knew Jerryanne Hindman as a bubbly character with a larger than life personality and a friendly face at the Gulfport Senior Center.
Hindman died Dec. 29 in her Town Shores home after a battle with intestinal illnesses.
She is survived by her brother, Robert Hindman and her dog Muffin. (Muffin now lives with an adoring neighbor.)
Born in Kansas City, Missouri on Dec. 10, 1944, Robert and Geraldine Hindman adopted and raised her.
An involved Gulfportian, she was the previous Gulfport Senior Center Foundation manager, a breast cancer survivor, a retired nurse in the United States Air Force, and a friend to many.
One of her closest friends in Gulfport, Muzi Michaels, met Hindman at a party in 2006. The two women connected instantly.
“By the end of the evening we were living it up,” Michaels told The Gabber. “She was a bubbly little thing… a big personality.”
Anyone who called Hindman a friend mentions her running joke of starkly claiming to be 5’7″ – a good six inches taller than her 5’1”.
It’s one of Hindman classic jokes, says Mary (Ellen) Abell. Abell met Hindman when they were both in their 20s, while working administrative jobs in Coral Gables.
They remained friends for more than 50 years, traveling to visit each other, withstanding marriages – and the highs and lows of life. Abell’s family nicknamed the duo Frick and Frack early on in their friendship.
“She was just vibrant, she was like a sister to my siblings, and a daughter to my parents,” Abell said. “She was always there, she made everyone laugh, and was just hysterical.”
Originally from the Midwest, Hindman died in a place she once filled with life: the Chatham building at Town Shores.
Town Shores property manager Roger Bell remembers her as an honest, lively woman. Bell hit it off with Hindman soon after he took the position in 2011.
“When we met, we instantly connected because of her sassy personality,” Bell said. “I loved that about her. If you wanted to know the truth, no matter how it was going to be told to you, just ask Jerryanne.”
And she never slowed down.
Hindman volunteered often at the Gulfport Senior Center to help her community and be surrounded by friends. Eventually, she took on the role of the Gulfport Senior Center Foundation Office Manager.
Hindman retired from her position, but left her mark.
“She was very lively around here,’ said Rachel Cataldo, the Gulfport Senior Center Supervisor. “She brought a lot of positive energy to the Center.”
Hindman’s celebration of life ceremony will take place at the Historic Peninsula Inn at a later date.
“We think it’s best to wait until after COVID dies down a little,” Michaels said.
The Gabber will have the details once friends set a time and place.
