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Richard Rhinehart

June 14, 2021
Sierra Vista, AZ

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It is with great sadness that the family of Major (ret.) Richard A. Rhinehart (Rich) announces his death on 14 June 2021 in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Rich was a decorated US Army veteran, devoted husband, loving father, grandpa, Opa, and great grandpa. Born 29 April 1931 and raised in Hartford MI to Bertha and Harvey Rhinehart, Rich was the youngest of four children. He enlisted in the US Army at the age of 17 and was assigned to Occupied Germany, where he fell in love with and married Rosa Pilz, with whom he lovingly shared 55 years until her death. Dad proudly served his country with honor for 29 years, rising from the rank of Private to Major. He was a decorated Veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, having volunteered for the latter. His military assignments included Ft. Carson, Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Landshut, Munich and Heidelberg/Mannheim Germany, Ft. Benning and Ft. Leonard Wood, where he was a Battalion Commander. This last assignment, was where he was able to relax with his family, raise horses, and cheer his kids on in sports. In 1970, he moved to Phoenix, to work for the State. He was an Operations Research Analyst from 1971-1996 for the Army Communications Command Center at Ft. Huachuca, spending 9 of those years as an expat in Worms Germany. While in Worms, Mary Faller, joined our family as the primary caregiver/companion for Rosa, whose MS was worsening. Mary continued to stay with the family to help care for Dad after Rosa's death in 2007. In 2015, Dad realized how much Mary meant to him and they were married. Mary has been a cherished member of our family for 35 years. He retired from civil service in 1996, however, never the one to stay idle, he obtained his Real Estate and Broker licenses, becoming owner of a Help-U-Sell Franchise and later Rhinehart Realty. He retired from that at the age of 85. He was a Mason for 65 years, attaining the levels of Master Mason and Shriner. Dad made numerous friends throughout his years as a civil servant, realtor and weekly garage sale patron. He was an avid skier, skiing well into his 80's. He was a devout Catholic, loved his Church family on Post, and was a member of the choir and Men's Bible Study. His love of God, his family, his friends, and his county were evident in how he lived his life and his patriotism was visible as he proudly wore his Vietnam/Korea War Veteran cap everywhere he went. In his 90 years of life, he lived every day to its fullest. He will be remembered for his smile, sense of humor, his tenacious and feisty spirit, and his ability to make friends easily. He was an inspiration to everyone who knew and met him and was generous to a fault, giving his time and money to anyone in need. In January 2020, just before COVID hit, Dad developed a spinal bleed that paralyzed him from the waist down. At 88 years old, Doctors said it was unlikely he would live longer than 3 months. Through the grace of God; the 24/7 care by his wife Mary; assistance from VA and Medicare nurses and doctors; and Dad's sheer will, he lived another 18 months. We are so thankful for everyone who helped him and for the extra time we had with him. Dad is survived by his devoted wife Mary, children Barbara, Rick Jr (Kathy) and Michael - Tucson; his dear sister Jean Brown - Coldwater, Michigan; his grandchildren Rick III (Kendra) - Phoenix, Jason (Amber) Briggles - Tucson, Alex (Tony) - Decatur, GA, and Michelle Pinedo - Tucson; his 8 great-grandchildren; Ron, Rei and Roy – Philippines; many nephews and nieces; and his extended family: the Abraham, Swisher, Pilz, Yannekis families. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosa; his father, Harvey; his mother, Bertha; his sister, Loretta and his brother, Donald. A viewing will be on Tuesday from 4 to 7 pm at Hatfield Funeral Home with the opportunity to share stories with the family at 6 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at St. Andrew Catholic Church. The Committal service with Military Honors will be at 12noon immediately after the funeral. He will be laid to rest at the So, Arizona Veteran's Memorial Cemetery. All services will be in Sierra Vista.