Huron County Commissioner Joe Hintz passes away

NORWALK — Huron County Commissioner Joe Hintz, who was currently serving his third term, passed away of a heart attack Wednesday evening. Hintz was elected to the Huron County Board of Commissioners for his first term in 2011 and has been reelected twice since, serving about ten and a half years on the board. He graduated from Norwalk High School in 1974 and served on the national guard from 1976-1982. Hintz was also a devout Christian, attending The Chapel in Norwalk. Skip Wilde, who graduated in the same Norwalk High School class as Hintz in 1974, has served on the board of commissioners with Hintz since 2017. He spoke of his devout faith. "Joe was a man of great faith and I believed he lived his life putting God first, family second and himself third," Wilde said. "He was a dedicated public servant for 10 and a half years and he will be dearly missed." Hintz founded a local small services company in 1985 His wife Elaine Hintz, four daughters and 14 grandchildren survive him. Terry Boose has also served on the board of commissioners with Joe since being elected to the board in 2017 and graduated in 1974 from St. Paul High School. "I am shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of Joe," Boose said. "He was a good man and a strong Christian who cared very deeply about Huron County. My prayers are with Elaine and their family, Longtime Norwalk city councilman Steve Schumm knew Joe as well and admired how he carried himself as commissioner. "I would say Joe was a real Christian gentleman," Schumm said. "He was always thinking about helping his constituents and keeping his constituents informed. You could always understand where he was coming from."