Delmar Winston “Dee” Hininger Jr., a lifelong Kansan, devoted husband, father and grandfather, small-business owner, and proud United States Navy and Vietnam veteran, passed away on September 30, 2026, at the age of 82.

Dee was born on August 15, 1944, in Bonner Springs, Kansas, to Delmar and Helene Hininger. He grew up in Bonner Springs and graduated from Bonner Springs High School. Following high school, Dee answered the call to serve his country by joining the United States Navy. He served for six years, including service during the Vietnam War. For his service, Dee received the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Vietnam Campaign Medal. His time in the Navy took him away from Kansas, but after completing his military service, he returned home. With the exception of those years serving his country, Dee spent his entire life in Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties.

After returning home, Dee became an entrepreneur and small-business owner. For many years, he owned and operated a business in Lansing, Kansas, selling motorcycles, lawnmowers, generators, and other equipment.

Both of his sons worked alongside him in the business, an experience that became an important part of their upbringing. Dee taught them by example the importance of hard work, treating customers well, teamwork, responsibility, and taking pride in a job well done. The lessons Damon and Del learned working alongside their father stayed with them and helped shape their own professional lives for decades to come. It was also through that business that Dee met the love of his life, Nancy. In the early 1970s, Nancy was working as a bank teller at First State Bank in Lansing. Dee’s business banked there and was located just two doors away. One day, Nancy stopped by the business to drop off some bank documents. For Dee, it was love at first sight.

As Nancy left, Dee followed her out to her car and asked her a simple question: “If I asked you out on a date, would you say yes?” She did—and the rest was history. Dee and Nancy married in August 1973, beginning more than 53 years together and building the family that would become the center of Dee’s life. In 1975, Dee adopted Nancy’s son, Damon McGee, who became Damon Hininger. Dee and Nancy later welcomed their son, Delmar W. Hininger III.

Dee sold his business in 1990 and spent some time working in real estate before beginning a new chapter at Fort Leavenworth. There, he worked in the maintenance department, helping maintain the post’s roads and buildings. Dee continued working at Fort Leavenworth until the age of 80, a remarkable reflection of the work ethic that characterized his life and that he had modeled for his sons from the time they were young. More than anything, Dee loved his family. Some of his happiest times were spent riding motorcycles with his sons. Together, they rode both road bikes and dirt bikes and even occasionally raced. Motorcycles became much more than a hobby; they were something Dee shared with his boys and a source of countless memories together.

Among his favorite adventures were trips with his sons to the mountains of southwestern Colorado, where they rode dirt bikes together through the rugged mountain country. Those trips—motorcycles, mountains, and time together as father and sons—became treasured family memories and reflected something important about Dee: he enjoyed life most when he was sharing an adventure with the people he loved.

As his family grew, Dee had the joy of becoming a grandfather to four grandchildren: Robert and Mildred “Milly” Hininger, Charlotte Hininger, and Noelle Fox. His family remained a source of great pride throughout his life. Kansas was always home. From Bonner Springs to Lansing and Leavenworth, Dee’s life remained deeply rooted in the communities where he was born and raised. He served his country, came home, built a business, found the love of his life just two doors away, worked hard throughout his life, raised a family, and created memories with those he loved that will endure for generations.

Dee is survived by his wife of more than 53 years, Nancy; his sons, Damon Hininger and his wife, Carrie, of Brentwood, Tennessee, and Delmar W. Hininger III and his wife, Bethany, of Overland Park, Kansas; his four grandchildren, Robert, Mildred “Milly,” Charlotte, and Noelle; and his sisters, Sue Rothenhoefer and Marsha Beardsley.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Delmar and Helene Hininger.

Memorial contributions may be given to Wounded Warrior Project or the Patriot Guard Riders. 

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at Davis Funeral Chapel, 531 Shawnee Street in Leavenworth, Kansas. The funeral service will begin at noon at the funeral chapel, with burial to follow at Mount Muncie Cemetery in Lansing, Kansas.