Manfred Joachim Hinz

Manfred Joachim Hinz, 88, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, passed away on January 28, 2023, after a lengthy illness.

Manfred was born on November 26, 1934, to Paul and Erika (nee Hoppe) Hinz in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.  World War II led the family to move back to the homeplace of Paul and Erika in the Posen region of what was then Prussia, now Poland.  After the family returned to Gelsenkirchen at war’s end, Manfred attended technical school for masonry and building trades, and entered a journeyman program. 

In 1955, Manfred immigrated to the United States, sponsored by an aunt and uncle who resided in South Bend, Indiana.  Manfred quickly found employment as a mason in the construction industry.  In 1957, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and attended Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.  Manfred was soon thereafter deployed to Ramstein, Germany.  He returned to the U.S. for the remainder of his military service and was honorably discharged in 1959.  Manfred proudly became a U.S. citizen in 1960.

Manfred met his wife, Renate (who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1958), through a German Club in South Bend, Indiana, and this group of tight-knit friends became a second family.  The couple were married in South Bend on September 24, 1960. They then moved one town over to Mishawaka, Indiana, into a home built by Manfred.  He continued to advance in his career, becoming a construction superintendent and handling large-scale commercial development throughout the Midwest and Southeast U.S. In 1985, the family moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, with Manfred continuing to work as a developer and superintendent for construction projects in New England.  In 2002, the couple retired and moved to Fredericksburg to be nearer to their children and grandchildren.  Through the years, Manfred enjoyed taking his family on camping trips across America and to visit family in Germany. He was a generous man with a strong work ethic and was very dedicated to his family. He will be missed very much.

He is survived by his wife, Renate; children Candace and Steven; daughter-in-law Carrie; grandchildren Avery, Chloe, and Katherine; brother Dieter; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins in Germany. Manfred was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Erika; and his brothers, Klaus and Gerd.

 A graveside services will be held privately at Quantico National Cemetery.