Obituary of Emil Gustav Hintz

Emil's father, Albert Gustave Hintz, was born on 11/14/1889 inStillwater,Minnesota. He came toOregonwith his mother at age 16 and married Emil's mother, Lucilla Laverne Allumbaugh ofNewberg,Oregonon 11/9/1908 when he was 19 and she was 16. They lived in or nearNewberg,Oregonall their lives, and Albert worked as a farmer and logger to support his family. Albert and Lucilla had two daughters before they settled on the family farm onChehalemMountainin 1912. Their first son was born in 1913, and then second Emil Gustave was born 2/27/1919. Between 1920 and 1928, two more sons and two more daughters were born to the family, bringing the total to eight children-four boys and four girls. Emil and his siblings attended the local schools in Newberg and helped work the family farm, raising prunes and other crops in their orchard. Even as a small boy, Emil was entrusted with driving the team of horses and wagon to deliver prunes to the commercial prune dryers surrounding Newberg. On 5/21/1935, when Emil was 16 years old, his father Albert died at age 46 of a head injury which he suffered in a logging accident while working for Stimson Lumber Co. on Chehalem Mountain near Newberg. Emil enlisted in the Oregon National Guard with his brother Ralph on 10/19/1938, at the age of 19, serving as a Private with Battery F, 218th Field Artillery. He wanted to enlist in the regular Army along with his brother, but was declared 4F due to a childhood injury. His brother Ralph did enter the Army and served in Europe during WWII. Emil was honorably discharged from the National Guard on 4/8/1940, when he leftOregonforSouthern California, where Ralph was in military training. While inCalifornia, Emil went to school during the days, worked nights, and eventually went to work for Lockheed-Martin Aircraft as an airplane mechanic. Among other things, he helped to build the Spruce Goose wooden airplane, which now resides in McMinnville,OR. Emil married Winnifred Eelson inPasadena,CAin 1943, and they had a daughter, Kathleen Margaret. Unfortunately, their marriage did not work out, and Emil leftCaliforniain 1945. He did not have contact with his first daughter for many years, but they were reunited in May of 1974. Emil moved toPortland, and married Margaret Louise MacManiman on 7/7/1946 at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church in Portland,OR. In 1949 he and Margaret moved toDetroit,OR. While inDetroit, Margaret worked for the Army Corps of Engineers during construction of the Detroit Dam. Emil tested for and was certified by the Oregon Board of Examiners in Watchmaking and Clockmaking on 2/19/1951. He opened his own watch repair business and ran the "Best Watch Repair by a Dam Site". In February of 1951, Emil and Margaret moved back toPortlandto care for Margaret's parents. He had another daughter, Margaret Christina, born in 1952, and a son, David Richard, born in 1956. Emil and Margaret lived with and cared for Margaret's parents in the bungalow onSE Main St.until 1961, when they purchased the house next door for their own home. This was a fixer-upper, and Emil spent the next several years repairing and improving the old house, making it into a true family home. This house remains in the family. Emil opened his jewelry shop and watch repair business, Hintz Jewelers, onSE Belmontin 1951. His brother Larry also had a jewelry shop, and the two brothers collaborated and helped each other in their businesses. Emil eventually moved his shop to Raleigh Hills, near his brother Ralph's barber shop, and later moved back toSE Belmont. He ran his own business for 20 years, and then closed the jewelry shop to specialize in the repair of antique clocks. He was a resourceful and inventive machinist, who was able to hand-manufacture both metal and wooden parts for antique clocks, pocket watches, grandfather clocks, and music boxes. Even after his retirement, he continued to visit certain special elderly clients and keep their heirloom timepieces ticking. Emil loved the outdoors, fishing, hunting, camping, clamming, and gardening. Every summer was spent camping with his family, and fishing in the boat he built with his own hands. This began as a 12' boat named the Cee-Mar-Dee ("C" for Christina, "Mar" for Margaret, and "D" for David). He later decided it was too small, and drew a crowd of observers when he hauled the boat up into the driveway, cut it in half, and lengthened it to 16'. The craft was re-christened the "Kut-N'-Haf". He especially loved the country around the mouth of the Columbia River andTillamook Bay, and was an experienced bar captain. Several times he came to the assistance of other boats in distress, offering a tow, navigation assistance, or radio contact with the Coast Guard. He proudly held an Oregon Pioneer fishing license, and was still "reeling in the big ones" well into his eighties. His wife of 65 years, Margaret, preceded him in death on October 30, 2011. Unable to live without her, Emil went to be with her on January 30, 2012, at the age of 91. Emil is survived by his sister Ruby Pipkin, of Dennison, TX, and his three children, Kathleen Yuhouse, of Blue Eye, MO.; Christina Hintz of Portland, OR; and David Hintz of Vancouver, WA. Emil also leaves three grandchildren, one great grand child, and numerous nieces and nephews.