- On Friday, May 15, 2015, US Navy Signalman 2nd Class James Dale "Jim" Hintz reached his final port. He was mustered out of his earthly service into the peace and safety of the mansion his Savior had prepared for him.
Jim was born March 25, 1926, in Appleton, Wisconsin, the son of Louis and Ruth (Brainard) Hintz. He attended Washington Elementary School and Appleton High School. After WWII began, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1943, completed basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago, and then was transferred to the Amphibious Training Center in Solomons, Maryland, where his familiarity with Morse Code from his years as a Boy Scout resulted in him being selected for training as a signalman.
After being deployed to the Pacific Theater in 1944, Jim served aboard a Landing Craft Support (LCS) ship, a class of ships nicknamed the "Mighty Midgets". He saw action in Balikpapan (Borneo), New Guinea, the Philippines, and Okinawa during the war, then worked mine-sweeping duty in Korea and China after the war ended until returning to civilian life in 1946. He received two battle stars for his WWII service, along with the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign ribbon, the Navy Occupation Service Medal and the China Service Medal. Jim later served peacetime in the Naval Reserves until his final honorable discharge from military service in 1951. After the war, Jim was a Boy Scout Troop Leader in Appleton for several years, and was a member of both the VFW and American Legion. He was employed for 40 years as a Wire Weaver at the Appleton Wire Works until his retirement in 1986.
On February 2, 1952, he married the love of his life, Elaine Kunstman, a union that lasted for 55 years. The couple was blessed with two sons, Jeff and John. Jim coached Little League and Babe Ruth Baseball, including coaching Jeff's 1969 Babe Ruth Team to 3rd place in the seven-state Ohio Valley Regional Tournament. Jim enjoyed vacationing with his family, including traveling around the U.S., camping weekends in the summer, and swimming, boating and waterskiing, especially on Lake Winnebago. Jim was an avid bowler. He and Elaine were members of the Auto Couples League and St. Paul's Lutheran Church League, and he also bowled in a weekly men's league. After his retirement, Jim and Elaine enjoyed camping on Firefly Lake in northern Wisconsin and annual trips to Branson, Missouri. In 1987, Jim joined the USS LCS Association and he and Elaine attended naval reunions all across the country. At the 2008 reunion in San Francisco, he had the opportunity to stand again on the deck of an LCS ship, the first time he had done so in over 60 years. In 2004, he attended the dedication of the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., and visited the Memorial again in 2011 via an Old Glory Honor Flight. In 2011 Jim moved to the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, Wisconsin, where he enjoyed sharing memories with his fellow veterans and partaking in many activities offered there.
Jim is survived by son Jeff Hintz (Stevens Point); son and daughter-in-law John and Julie Hintz (Waupaca); granddaughter Breanna Hintz (Waupaca); grandson Andrew Hintz; great-granddaughter Nevaeh Hintz (Eau Claire); a sister-in-law Eileen Tiede (Appleton); and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Elaine; his parents; two brothers Robert and Harry; two sisters Lois (Bernhard) Zuehlke and Alice (Wesley) Kuhn; brother-in-law Arlin Tiede; and brother- and sister-in-law Kenneth and Margaret Kunstman.
A celebration of Jim's entry into eternal life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, 302 N. Morrison Street, Appleton, with Rev. Kenneth Frey officiating. A graveside ceremony with military honors will follow at about 3:30 p.m. at Community Lutheran Cemetery, Freedom. Friends may call directly at the church on June 24 from noon until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established by Jim's family.
The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Wisconsin Veterans Home for the wonderful care they gave Dad during his time as a resident at King.
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1926 - 2015 (89 years)
Military Service
