LeRoy Ramon Hintsa, 95, of Hermantown, MN, a proud veteran, devoted husband, and beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away on August 27, 2026. He was born December 8, 1930, in Duluth, MN, to George “Art” and Alice E. (Reponen) Hintsa. He graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1948, and attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He enjoyed football, swimming, and softball. He was also an Eagle Scout.

On April 9, 1954, he married Maria K. (Taimisto) of Kuortane, Finland. They shared 63 years of marriage until her passing in 2017.

LeRoy proudly served his country as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. He was activated in August 1950 with more than 220 B Company reservists from Duluth and deployed to Korea, where he fought in the Chosin Reservoir campaign. For his courage, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V” for valor. He remained a proud member of The Chosin Few/Frozen, a brotherhood of those who served in that historic battle.

LeRoy worked as a lifeguard at Park Point in Duluth and with the high line crew of Minnesota Power & Light before joining Coolerator Company as a test engineer. He later joined Chun King and went on went on to serve as plant superintendent in Duluth, and then plant manager in Windsor, Ontario, and Cambridge, Maryland. He then joined R.J. Reynolds/Nabisco/Del Monte Foods, where he held leadership roles in production planning and inventory control in New York, Winston-Salem, and San Francisco.

He is survived by his children, Mary Lee A. Hintsa Brower of Duluth, MN, Mark L. Hintsa of Sarasota, FL, and Kevin G. Hintsa of Martinez, CA; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, Marvin G. Hintsa, in 2018.

A service to honor LeRoy’s life and legacy will be announced at a future date. Interment with military honors will follow. The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at the Pillars of Hermantown memory care and St. Croix Hospice for their loving care of LeRoy in this transition of life.