Harold Anderson "Hal" Hintze

1938 - 2018

1938 ~ 2018
On Thursday, December 6, 2018, Harold "Hal" Anderson Hintze, passed away at the age of 80. He died as the result of an accident while loading his fishing raft into the Elk River in Oregon. We are comforted in the fact that he was doing what he loved most. Hal was born on October 11, 1938 to Harold Sears and Grace Anderson Hintze and grew up in Utah County graduating from Provo High School.
After a brief period of academic probation, he graduated from BYU on the Dean's Honor List completing 2 years of college in just 12 months. He taught seminary in Arizona and then in American Samoa where he also coached every sport possible for both boys and girls at Mapusaga High School from 1965-1967. He had a short stint as a Driver's Ed instructor until they rolled the car on the football field. Hal later decided to return to college and pursue a law degree. He graduated from the University of Utah College of Law in 1970, earning the number one ranking on the Utah Bar Exam and soon after began his incredibly successful career as an attorney. His career highlights include serving on the Utah Law Review Editor board, publishing two articles in the Utah Law Review, and handling more Eminent Domain cases and appeals than any other lawyer in Utah history (the largest and most expensive cases representing both landowners as well as 27 different governmental agencies).
As notable as his professional career was, Hal excelled in his many hobbies and was passionate about becoming skilled and knowledgeable about each one. One of his first hobbies was competing in downhill skiing, which he actually taught while in college, and thus began his trophy collection. He taught his children to ski as well and entered them (some of them very unwillingly) into races held at Sundance Ski Resort. He loved riding horses, snowmobiles, waterskiing, boating, was a natural athlete and enjoyed including his kids in everything he did. He took his golfing hobby to an entirely new level, traveling to Ireland to golf on the first courses in history. He once held a 1.5 UGA Handicap card and qualified for the regional rounds of the US Seniors Open Championship. He also won the Utah State Seniors Match Play Championship in the Net Division (Handicap) 2009. After building a beautiful home in Bear Lake, Idaho, he found the desire to learn how to sail. He quickly became an accomplished sailor, winning "a ton" of races, but his biggest dream was to sail from the United States to Australia and at the age of 68, he did just that. He navigated over 20,000 miles to over 145 different bay, beaches and marinas in North, Central, and South America (teaching himself and becoming fluent in Spanish along the way), the islands of the Caribbean and South Pacific, and the east coast of Australia. Once back in the US, he began what his final hobby/challenge would be - fly fishing - and just like the others, he was determined to master it. He has "run" some of the world's best rivers and hand tied over 200 different fly patterns using them to foil fish in over 250 lakes, rivers and streams all over the Western United States. He also became a river guide at the age of 75 and enjoyed sharing his expertise with those lucky enough to spend the day fishing with him as their guide on the Green River. He especially loved spending time teaching his well-honed and tediously studied skills to his adoring grandchildren who spent many hours fishing with their grandpa.
Hal loved making jokes, quoting movies, telling hilarious stories from his extraordinary life and his notorious "one-liners" left an unforgettable impact on everyone he met. He hosted several lavish parties in his beautifully designed homes including some for his children, filling his home and graciously tolerating large groups of their friends while instantly becoming the "coolest dad" ever. His endless energy and zest for life was apparent in everything he did. It was a document found on his computer that, from his own words, he shared what he was most proud of. "My greatest claim to fame is that I helped Pat raise 5 children and 5 grandchildren and watched them grow into outstanding individuals. I am certain that no man left this earth with as many fond memories as I and the overwhelming majority of them involve my kids. Through them I truly left this world better than I found it."
Hal was preceded in death by his parents, Harold Sears Hintze and Grace Anderson Hintze. He is survived by his five children, Harold Robert Hintze, Kyle Lani Hintze, Angie and (Russ) Larsen, Jason Stanford Hintze and Tricia Hintze, his five grandchildren, Robyn Rose and (Kyle) Wright, Alexis and (Bryce) Provost, Cooper and (Karlie) Larsen, JJ and (Zaidie) Larsen, Coy and (Hallie) Larsen, and his five siblings, Geraldine Hatch, Deanne Madsen, Raymond Hintze, Richard Hintze and Claudia Teeples.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 22 at noon at the LDS Chapel located at 305 N. Matterhorn, Alpine, Utah. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider donating to your favorite charity or to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.