Charlotte Gail Hinds

Charlotte Gail Hinds passed away on June 21, 2025, at the age of 72 in Bowie, Maryland, where she had moved to be close to her daughter. Charlotte was born on May 12, 1953 in Amherst, Texas to Charles and Ruth Hinds. Charlotte was a beloved daughter, sister, mother, aunt, Grandma ChaCha, and friend to many.

Charlotte grew up on a cotton farm in West Texas with her sister and partner in crime, Pat. The two sisters roamed the countryside and rode bikes down steep hills pretending to fly like birds. During the summer, Charles told them to get up early and hoe cotton instead of sleeping until lunchtime. That did not go over well to say the least, but they did it together. They played more than they hoed! In their junior high and high school years, they began playing for church together, with Charlotte on piano and Pat on organ. One song Ruth loved was How Great Thou Art, and Charlotte’s music had beautiful runs that echoed through the church.

After graduating with honors from Littlefield High School in 1971, Charlotte attended college at Texas Tech where she obtained a degree in sociology. She then held jobs as a counselor for teens, parole officer, correctional officer, and cocktail pianist, before deciding that she would go back to Texas Tech for law school. Upon graduating law school, she moved back to Austin, which is where she met her former husband, Melvin. They married and had their daughter, Miranda. Charlotte and Melvin continued to be good friends through the years.

Charlotte had a successful family law practice in Bastrop for two decades. In 2007, she was appointed to be the first District Judge of the 423rd District Court, a position she held until 2008. The final years of her career were spent presiding over the City of Bastrop Municipal Court until her retirement in 2018.

Charlotte was an active and cherished member of the Bastrop community. She was a member of the Calvary Episcopal Church and could be seen and heard playing the organ most Sundays. Music was always a big source of joy for Charlotte, and she loved using her talent to bring joy to others. Charlotte was active with the Boys and Girls Club, Teen Court, and the High School Band Boosters (even continuing to help for a few years after Miranda had graduated high school!). Miranda remembers never being able to go anywhere around town in Bastrop without someone stopping to talk to her mom. That’s the kind of person she was - open-hearted, warm, generous, and a wonderful friend.

Charlotte was most proud to be a mother and shared a close bond with Miranda. She carted Miranda around to dance practice, horse riding lessons, Girl Scout meetings, band performances, and many more. She and Miranda always found ways to have fun together, whether it was cooking meals, road trips to West Texas, and one of Charlotte’s dream destinations - taking a cruise in Alaska. If you knew Charlotte, you knew about her love of animals. She never met a stray she wouldn’t take in and she always had a least one cat or dog, usually many.

In 2019, Charlotte, a lifelong Texan, took the brave step of moving to Seattle, Washington (and later Maryland) to be close to Miranda. It was there that she got to celebrate Miranda’s marriage to David and welcome her first grandchild, Ezra, in 2020. She was so excited to be a grandma and would call Miranda with all kinds of name ideas, asking her if he had arrived yet. Charlotte welcomed her second grandchild, Nora, in 2024. Though dementia was unforgiving as it gradually took her memory and ability to communicate, her trademark sense of humor and spark remained until the very end.

Charlotte is reunited in heaven with her parents, Charles and Ruth Hinds; sister Cheryl Ann Hinds; and grandson, Ezra Magdangal. Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Miranda Magdangal, and son-in-law, David; granddaughter, Nora; sister, Patricia DeVoe; and nieces, Krista Clayton and Nicole Rogers.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the ASPCA.

A memorial service for Charlotte will be held on August 9, 2025, at 11 am at the Calvary Episcopal Church (603 Spring Street, Bastrop, TX 78602).