Howard R. Hinnerichs

Howard Richard Hinnerichs passed on January 24th, 2020. He was born in 1933, to Paul and Adria (Zickafoose) Hinnerichs in Wakefield, Nebraska. Howard was the first of three children. He spent his early years at his family home in Culver City, CA. Howard joined the Navy at age 17 in 1951. While on leave from the base he met his soon to be wife, Mary Ann, at a movie theater where she was working as an usher. Howard and Mary Ann were married on July 5, 1951 and have been married for 67 years raising their 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 7 great and great-great grandchildren. ​During the Korean War, Howard served in the Navy for 6 years, based in San Jose, CA and on the aircraft carrier, USS Princeton, traveling to many areas of the world including, Hawaii, Korea, Laos, Philippines, Midway Island, Bhutan, and Germany. His duties included aircraft maintenance, flight-deck operations and air-sea rescue.​Howard was a member of IUOE Local 49, heavy equipment operators, and was a crane operator working on many Minnesota projects, on the Black Dog grain elevators, the U of M underground heating system tunnels, underground heating systems in downtown St. Paul, the antenna towers in Shoreview. In between jobs, Howard and Mary Ann were managers of the Corral Drive-In in South St. Paul and the Minnehaha Drive-In in East St. Paul. As well, they worked with their good friends, Ken and Kathy, as Blackjack dealers for casino nights at corporate events. He sold concessions at the St. Paul Auditorium, Minneapolis Auditorium, Roy Wilkens Auditorium. After being permanently disabled on the job at age 48, he assisted in the care and maintenance of 2 four-plex apartment buildings in St. Paul with his wife and son, Dean, for 25 years. ​Howard was most at home when sitting behind the wheel of his truck or SUV putting 30,000-40,000 miles on his truck a year. He enjoyed long drives around the city and country, keeping up with local news by chatting with police officers and people he met in all the local coffee shops and gas stations. Howard never forgot a face and was always running into people he knew and remembered from years past. With his wife, Mary Ann, he traveled the country taking yearly weeklong trips with all of the grandchildren. He and Mary Ann wintered in Laughlin, Nevada for many years, driving to the coast and further south, to visit with his sister, Vie. ​Howard is preceeded in death by his son, Gary. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann;, sister, Vie Cibene; daughter, Coleen Burmis (Jerry); son, Dean (Connie); grandchildren, Erin Phillips, Sarah Moeschter, Joshua Hinnerichs, Nicholas Hinnerichs, Lisa Hinnerichs, and Elizabeth Charnell; along with great-grandchildren, Dalena, Nevaeh, Erianna, Javis, Aniah, and Cassius, and great-great grandchild, Mila. ​Howard’s funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, January 30 at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home (Roseville, 2130 N. Dale Street at County Road B. He will be privately interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 10-11 AM Thursday. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict.