Herbert Erwin Hein Jr

Funeral service for Herbert Erwin Hein Jr. will take place on Friday, February 7, 2025 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Vesta, MN beginning at 11:30 a.m. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service. Upon conclusion of the funeral a luncheon will be provided at St. John’s. Burial will take place Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Echo City Cemetery. Herbert “Junior” Erwin Hein was born on November 20, 1937, in Echo, Minnesota to Herbert and Laura Hein. He was baptized and confirmed at Peace Lutheran Church in Echo. He attended elementary and high school in Echo, graduating in 1956. On October 27, 1957, he was united in marriage to Dorothy Huseby at Rock Dell Lutheran Church in rural Belview. Herb and Dorothy farmed for a few years near Belview then moved to “the Cities” in 1966 with their two daughters. Herb worked for the Minnesota State Highway Department and then in construction quality control for several private firms, working on highway, bridge and dam projects around the Midwest. Herb and Dorothy moved back to Belview following his retirement in 2000. Herb was an avid card player, well known at contract bridge, whist and poker tables in Minnesota and surrounding states. He authored a book “Hein Two-Suited System & Partnership Bidding Agreements”, part bridge strategy and part autobiography. He loved gardening fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes, cucumbers, Concord grapes and watermelon. In late summer, he would fill the trunk of his car with produce and drive around sharing the bounty of his gardens with family, friends and anyone who happened to be in the vicinity. Herb enjoyed attending estate and auction sales, chasing the thrill of a “good buy”, then transporting his treasures home in the fashion of The Beverly Hillbillies - in an overflowing trunk and/or tied to the roof of his car. Herbert Hein Jr. entered eternal life on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at Parkview Nursing Home in Belview at the age of 87 years. He is survived by daughter Shelly and son-in-law Nathan Schultz, daughter Lorie Reilly– as well as 6 grandchildren: Nikolaus (Jenny) Schultz, Natalie (Travis) Carr, Joshua Reilly, Jessica (Jonathon) Newkirk, Daemon and Derek Bauer – and 7 great-grandchildren: Norman, Ella and Hazel Schultz, Walter and Nolan Carr and Jordan and Kate Newkirk. Also surviving are sisters Jenet Jacobson and Mavis Boushek. He was preceded in death by his wife and parents. Blessed be his memory. In lieu of memorials, plant a garden and give away the produce or donate to your local food shelf.