Willard Joseph Hince, 86, of Thief River Falls, passed away at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND on Thursday, August 23rd, 2018 after a very brief battle with cancer.

Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, August 28th, 2018 at 12:00 PM at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Thief River Falls, with Father Rick Lambert presiding. Burial will follow at St. Bernard’s Catholic Cemetery, Thief River Falls.

Visitation was held on Monday, August 27th, 2018 from 5:00-7:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM Prayer Service at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls. Visitation was also held one hour prior to the service at the church.

Willard is survived by his children: Sons’ Willard Hince Jr. of St. Peter, MN, Duane (Cheryl) Hince of Brooklyn Center, MN, Daughter, Catherine (Vince) Miramontes of Thief River Falls, Timothy Hince of Hugo, Craig (Tammy) Hince of Mora, and Marybeth (Paul) Workin of Fargo, ND, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, brother, Russell (Cheryl) Hince of Brooks, and special friend Judy Gustafson of Thief River Falls, and many relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his Wife, Shirley and Daughter Linda. Parents Ted and Lillian Hince, Brother Duane Hince, Sisters, Delores Burthwick and Evangeline Grove and many cousins, aunts and uncles.

Willard Hince, son of Theodore and Lillian (Riel) Hince, was born June 30th, 1932 in Lambert Township. He was the second of five children. Sister Delores (Kenneth) Burthwick, Brother Duane Hince, Sister Evangeline (Sherlen) Grove, Brother, Russell (Cheryl) Hince.

Willard was drafted into the US Army in 1952. He fought on the front lines of the Korean Conflict. When he returned to the USA, he met and married Shirley Ann Poole in San Pedro, CA. To this union 7 children were born. After a brief stay in California, Willard and Shirley returned to Brooks.

Willard worked at the Brooks Cheese Factory. Following the Cheese Factory, he moved to Red Lake Falls and worked for Detroiter Mobile Homes. They returned to Brooks and purchased the Cozy Bar In 1972

Willard moved his family to Thief River Falls, where he resided until his death. Willard continued to work at Detroiter Mobile Homes until the passing of his daughter Linda in 1979. Willard then started his own company called Hince Construction with his brother Russell, his nephew Shawn joined the company and the three of them continued to run the company until Willards Retirement.

Upon retirement, Willard continued to work part-time for his Daughter and Son-In-Law Cathy and Vince at Phillips Iron and Metal as well as care for his wife Shirley who passed away in 2010 after many years of Alzheimer’s.

After Shirley’s passing, Willard moved into Riverside Terrace apartments, he lived there for a little over 7 years before moving into assisted living at Valley Home in Thief River Falls. Shortly after moving into Valley Home, Willard was diagnosed with a rare form of Melanoma. Not long after starting treatment he developed a bacterial infection in his blood and passed away a week later.

Willard loved to play games of all kinds, including: Cards, Horseshoes, Bean Bag and Board games. He was dubbed Willard “Honey Hole” Hince by his family, due to his exceptional bean bag tossing skills. He played many hours of Aggravation with his mother, brothers and sister and countless hours of Pinochle, Smear and Whisk with his entire family.

In his later years, he also enjoyed playing bingo at the VFW. He had an amazing sense of humor and always had a way of making people laugh, even up to his final days. He was a loving and caring husband/father and grandfather to his wife, children and grandchildren.
Willard will be greatly missed by his children and grandchildren and special friend Judy.