Capt. William M. Hinz, M.D.

He was in the company of his wife of 56 years, Eleanor, and two of his four children, Eleanor, Nancy, Herman and Margaret. He is survived also by five grandchildren and thirteen nephews and nieces. Born into turbulent times, he was fond of saying that he had been raised by committee: His parents were William Herman Carl Hinz and Ilma Weipking Rathke Hinz; his siblings were Elroy Hinz, Marion Hinz Hanschke, Luther “Lutz” Rathke, Ilma Rathke Tews, Lucille Rathke Habich and Gertrude Rathke Rooney. We offer this obituary to the communities he loved as a celebration of his life, intensely-lived.

Bill Hinz was a hard-working man.

As a boy, he learned to drive horses and throw hay bales. At 17, he painted ore carriers on the Great Lakes. Once in college, he delivered mink food for Fromm then joined the Marines, attended electronics school, and was stationed at the base of Mt. Fuji.

After completing medical school, he served in Vietnam as a frontlines physician. At 43, he earned his wings as a flight surgeon in the Navy. He was an executive officer of Naval Air Station hospitals on the island of Guam and in Lemoore, Calif. Returning to the Naval Reserves in 1983, he served as commanding officer of a mobile hospital unit out of Minnesota.

He was a determined professional.

He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and earned his M.D. from George Washington University in Washington DC. While in Vietnam, he led a medical team that made regular trips off base to serve civilian families. As a pediatrician in Green Bay, he helped to establish the first Brown County Child Abuse Prevention Team and was a ringside physician for Oneida Golden Gloves Tournaments.

He was a team player.

For Bill there was no better metaphor for life than sports. Equity and diversity are honored through self-sacrifice, honest practice and healthy habits. He encouraged participation with his children and grandchildren, male and female alike. In high school, though his preferred sport was basketball, he played 6 man football, short stop, and was a member of forensics. At UW Madison, he boxed, and he was an enthusiastic soccer player well into his 50s.

Our family wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to the professionals at Columbia-St. Mary’s Hospital, Sarah Chudnow Rehabilitation, Caring With Honor, Horizon, and Mueller Funeral Home & Crematory for their guidance and support.

In 2010, he was inducted into the Grafton High School Alumni Hall of Fame. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please donate in his name to the Grafton High School Booster Club (https://ghs.grafton.k12.wi.us/athletics/booster_club).