Detmer Carl Hines

Detmer was born in Staples, Minnesota, the son of Carl Detmer Hines and Nina (Hollister) Hines, and grew up in the Scandia Valley and Lincoln Lakes area with his siblings, Catherine, Dorothy and Leon. After graduating from Motley High School in 1942 he enlisted in the Merchant Marines where he served as a bosun in both Europe and the Pacific during World War II.

He and his high school sweetheart, Margaret Cantleberry, were married on June 5, 1944, while he was still in the service. They later settled on their Scandia Valley farm where they raised two children, Carl and Susan. He was a farmer and had dairy cows. He also worked for Muske Implement, Keppers Plumbing (where he was known for his skills as a “well witcher”), and later for Midwestern Gas, where he started as a general laborer and later became a District Superintendent. That job took his family to Osceola, WI, Warren, MN, and Ada, MN. After his retirement he and Marge returned to their farm.

Detmer Hines loved life. He was an enthusiastic jack-of-all-trades who knew how to fix just about anything. (He took pride in completing a home correspondence course in electronic work). His lifelong love of airplanes and flying led him to get his private pilot’s license in 1969 and his floatplane certification in the 1980s. He owned his own planes, put an airstrip at the farm, and spent hundreds of hours flying around Minnesota and to Canada for family fishing adventures. His love of fishing came from his mother, but he also enjoyed hunting, snowmobiling, golf, boating, John Wayne movies, auctions, reading (any newspaper, cover-to-cover), and casinos. In his late 70s you could still find him water skiing (often on a slalom ski) with family and friends on nearby lakes.

Most of all D.C. (as he was most often called) loved people—and they loved him. He had a quick wit, a ready smile, a friendly wink and a whistle, and never met a stranger. His favorite moments were picnics, holidays and birthday parties at the farm, surrounded by family and friends. He gave his best to those people, to his work, and to his country. He was one of a kind and we miss him every day. He was laid to rest on November 2, 2018.