Lorin Johnson

1953 - 2020

Lorin Johnson

Silverton - Lorin Johnson September 4, 1953-April 5, 2020

Lorin Johnson passed away in her sleep, peacefully, of natural causes in the early hours of Sunday, April 5th. She was born on September 4, 1953 in Los Angeles, California to Kathryn Hines Johnson and prominent Los Angeles architect S. Kenneth Johnson. One of four children, Lorin was free-spirited woman and highly driven in her education, moving to Scotts Mills, Oregon from Los Angeles, California, when she was 17 years old after graduating high school early to attend Mt. Angel College. She purchased and developed Sunset Mountain Farm, which is where she raised horses, chickens, sheep, and had incredible vegetable gardens and fruit orchards.

Lorin met and married Robert Brier, and adopted his daughter Sinaloa from a previous marriage. Later in life, she met her soulmate, Jerry Hinsvark. They lived together for years, raising Jerry's children, Amber and James, from his previous marriage on the farm, and eventually married on the island of Maui in 1989. They were together for 31 years, until death parted them.

Lorin had a lifelong passion for education. She was a psychiatric nurse in her first career, working for the Oregon State Hospital and later Salem Psychiatric, before she decided to attend the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine to become a Chinese Medicine Doctor. She had a great interest in medicine and health, and she loved helping people.

Lorin's favorite pastimes include riding her horses on the trails behind her farm and by her creekside cabin. Horses were her lifeblood; she adored riding and had wonderful stables and a large arena on the farm. She shared her interest in horses with many friends in the surrounding Willamette Valley. She and Jerry had a wonderful beachfront abode in San Pancho, Mexico, and they would spend much of their time there to escape the wet, dark winters of Oregon. There was nothing she cherished more than sipping a fresh margarita on the beach or lying in her hammock between two palms, reading one of her novels. She was a gourmet cook who adored creating incredible meals for her family and friends, and their Thanksgiving feasts were legendary and included all who could attend. She had a big generous heart and loved children and animals. She raised Bernese Mountain Dogs and always had several of this breed by her side.

Lorin is survived by her daughter, Sinaloa Brier, and grandsons Damien Cunningham and Sabastian Shideler of Portland, OR. She is also survived by her brother, Kenneth Johnson, of Oakland, CA; her niece, Corey Martin Evans, of Los Angeles, CA; stepdaughter Amber Hillman, of Portland, OR; grandson Chandler Gilges and granddaughter Isabelle Gilges of Portland, OR; stepson James Hinsvark of Portland, OR; stepson Brian Hinsvark, of Washington DC; and grandsons Arthur and Zachary Hinsvark of Austin, TX. She is predeceased her husband and soulmate, Gerald Hinsvark; by her parents, Kathryn and S. Kenneth Johnson; brother Mark Johnson, of Los Angeles, CA; and her sister, Jana Pretzel, of Pasadena, CA. Arrangements by Unger Funeral Chapel - Silverton.