"Alden" Ron Hibbert, 93, passed away on February 2, 2021. After serving in the military during the Korean War, he took advantage of the GI Bill and earned his bachelor's degree in Forestry. His forestry degree landed him a job with the US Forest Service in North Carolina. He then went back to school for a masters degree in Hydrology. In his youth Ron and his brother would visit their uncle who was a prospector in Arizona. His love of the southwest led Ron to move his family to Tempe to join a new forestry lab on ASU’s campus.

After retirement Ron was able to pursue a passion for gold mining, developed in his early years visiting his uncle in Arizona. Gold mining occupied him for the rest of his life. With the enthusiasm and support of his wife and family, he purchased and began gold mining operations with his brother. During this time period Ron’s wife, Dolores, passed away. The brothers spent the next seven years coaxing gold from the rocks. Once they squeezed the rock dry, they shut down the operation, keeping the property for its beauty and solitude. He laer purchased a farm in Buhl, Idaho, escaping the hot Arizona summers. After two years of farming he returned to Arizona and settled in Yarnell Arizona, "where a desert breeze meets the mountain air".

On a driving tour of California's mining country in the Sierra's, he met a lovely docent, Ruby Minard, working at the museum in Angels Camp. They clicked, and were soon married. They enjoyed several years in Yarnell and then moved to Angels Camp, Ruby's lifelong home. They remained there and enjoyed family and traveling. After Ruby’s death, he returned to Yarnell where he remained until his death.

Ron is survived by two children. He is preceded in death by wife Dolores, a daughter and second wife Ruby Minard. The family is planning a Celebration of Life in Arizona and in Idaho on a future date. The family requests donations in lieu of flowers to: Hospice of the Pines (mail to:) 13207 E Hwy 169 Suite A Dewey, AZ 86327 Yarnell Regional Community Center PO Box 641, Yarnell, AZ 85362. (Source: ASU Foundation)