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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 passed with his devoted wife, Mary at his side. Rich was a decorated US Army veteran, devoted husband, loving father, grandpa, Opa, and great grandpa. In his 90 years of life, he lived every day to its fullest. He was an inspiration to everyone who knew and met him. He was generous to a fault, giving his time and money to anyone in need. He had a strong work ethic and love of family. He will be remembered for his smile, sense of humor, finding joy in life, his tenacious and feisty spirit, and his ability to make friends easily.
Born in 1931 to Bertha (Christensen) and Harvey Rhinehart in Hartford Michigan, Rich was the youngest of four children. As the youngest, he learned quickly to fend for himself. He said that being a Rhinehart in Hartford meant you had to fight daily (literally), which no doubt laid the foundation for his later success as a boxer while serving in the US Army.
Describing his childhood, Rich spoke of working in the fields near Hartford, harvesting every sort of berry and vegetable, managing the training of field workers for one of the local packing companies, setting pins by hand in the local bowling alley, and bringing home food for his family as they fought the challenges of living in a small town through the Depression and World War II.
Following a Rhinehart tradition, he enlisted in the US Army at the age of 17 and was assigned to Occupied Germany, where against US policy of non-fraternization with German citizens, he fell in love with and married Rosa Pilz. They were married on 1952 in Aschaffenburg, Germany. They shared 55 years of marriage until her death.
Rich had intended to leave the Army and start a new career but with the onset of the Korean War, all enlistments were automatically extended and he was sent to Korea as a Combat Engineer. After he returned from the war, he was assigned as a ROTC Instructor at MSU.
Rich and Rosa had three children across an 8-year period. Moving quickly through the ranks, Rich received a direct promotion from Master Sergeant (E-8) to First Lieutenant (1LT) and was assigned to the Adjutant General Corps. A whirlwind of assignments followed as the family moved to Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, Landshut, Munich and Heidelberg/Mannheim Germany, and Ft. Benning Ga.
It was then that, at the age of 36, Rich felt it was his duty as a career soldier to volunteer for the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, Rich was promoted to the rank of Major and assigned as an Assistant Adjutant General. One of his many responsibilities was Postal Officer. While seeming to be a less hazardous responsibility, every day he was subject to direct enemy contact. He was dropped into unsecured areas along the DMZ to deliver crucial dispatches and mail to the troops on the front lines.
He was in Saigon during the first TET, narrowly escaping with his life as his barracks and the US Embassy were attacked and overrun. Upon returning from Vietnam, Dad finished his Bachelor of Science at Michigan State University with High Honors. His degree was in Personnel Administration.
Next up was a 3-year assignment to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he was able to relax with his family, raise horses, and cheer his kids on in sports. Rich retired in 1970 after 29 years of active duty and after having received several commendations and medals for his military service. He moved to the family to Phoenix, Arizona to work for the State.
In 1971, Rich entered Civil Service and taking a position as a Librarian at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, primarily to get US Army Hospital care for his wife Rosa who was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis just before Rich went to Vietnam. He then took a position in with the Army Communications Command Center, receiving commendations for his efforts on the Telecommunication Plan for Infrastructure in Korea. He took an assignment as an Operations Research Analyst, and he spent 9 of those years as an expat in Worms Germany, being promoted to GS 13, before returning to Ft. Huachuca in 1993. While there, Mary Faller joined the family as primary caregiver and companion for Rosa, whose Multiple Sclerosis was worsening. He retired from his second career in service to his country in 1996. However, never the one to stay idle he took a position with Help-U-Sell Realty in Ft. Huachuca, getting his Real Estate and Broker licenses, becoming owner of the Help-U-Sell Franchise and the Rhinehart Realty in Sierra Vista. He finally retired from that at the age of 85.
Rich made numerous friends throughout his years. He was a devout Catholic, loved his Church Family on post, and was a member of the Church Choir and Men's Bible Study. His fortitude, love of God, his family, his friends, and his county were evident in how he lived his life. Mary continued to stay with the family to help care for Rich after Rosa's death in 2007. Rich realized how much Mary meant to him and her devotion to our family and they were joyfully wed on 30 July 2015. Mary has been a loved member of the family for 35 years.
As a proud Korea and Vietnam War Veteran, a highlight for Rich was when the country honored him for his service by selecting him for the Honor Flight program and hosted him and other war veterans in Washington DC in 2017. His patriotism was proudly displayed as he wore his Vietnam/Korea War Veteran cap everywhere he went.
In January 2020, just before COVID hit, Rich developed a spinal bleed which developed into a hematoma that caused him to be paralyzed 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; his 24/7 care by his wife Mary; assistance from VA and Medicare, many nurses and doctors; and Rich's sheer will, he lived another 18 months. We are so thankful for everyone who helped and for the extra time we had with him.
Rich was full of life and energy. He was an avid skier, racquetball and handball player, motorcycle rider, cribbage player, and he absolutely loved dogs, taking in strays and rescues. He enjoyed going to garage sales, which he did because he just loved meeting and talking to people. He celebrated 65 years as a Freemason achieving the rank of Master Mason and was a Shriner. He was always ready to lend a hand or offered help to those in need. He will be deeply missed. We are greatly appreciative of his many friends including his friends, church group, and clergy in Sierra Vista who visited him during this past 18 months. We know Rich is at peace now, in Heaven with his first wife along with his many friends and relatives.
Rich is survived by his devoted wife Mary, his loving children Barbara, Rick Jr (Kathy) and Michael of Tucson, Arizona; his dear sister Jean Brown of Coldwater, Michigan; his grandchildren Rick III (Kendra) of Phoenix, Arizona, Jason (Amber) Briggles of Tucson, Arizona, Alex (Tony) of Decatur, Georgia, and Michelle Piñedo of Tucson, Arizona; his 8 great-grandchildren; his Filipino family Ron, Rei, and Roy; numerous nephews and nieces and his extended family which includes the Pilz, Yannekis and Abraham families. He was preceded in death by his beloved Rosa (Pilz) Rhinehart; his father, Harvey Rhinehart; his mother, Bertha Christensen; his sister, Loretta Tradewell and his brother, Donald Rhinehart.
Services: Viewing will be held on Tuesday from 4 pm to 7pm at Hatfield Funeral Home, 830 South Highway 92, Sierra Vista, AZ . Come share stories at 6 pm with the family.
Funeral Mass at 10:30 am on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at St. Andrew Catholic Church, Sierra Vista, AZ.
Committal service with Military Funeral Honors will be held immediately following the Funeral Mass at 12 Noon at the Southern Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, 1300 Buffalo Soldier Trail, Sierra Vista, AZ.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Major Richard Allen Rhinehart, please visit our floral store.