John (Jack) Rhinehart

John (Jack) Rhinehart succumbed to Alzheimer’s August 6 at Lafayette’s Landmark Assisted Living Memory Care. Always a gentle man, he remained the same in his passing. He was born February 10, 1935 in Findley Lake, NY to John J. Rhinehart and Marguerite Shields Rhinehart. He is survived by his wife, Helen, children, Richard Rhinehart (Kathryn), Grand Junction, CO; Kathleen Appel (David), Lafayette, CO; Tracy Rodriguez, Aurora, CO; David Rhinehart (Mary), Reisterstown, MD; and Laura Kietell, Cheyenne, WY; seven grandchildren: Roseann Truong (Adam), Aurora, CO; Cassandra Anthony (Loren), Lakewood, CO; Andrew Rodriguez, Aurora, CO; Jennifer Rodriguez, Denver, CO.; Daniel Appel, Lafayette, CO; and Shaelyn and Riley Rhinehart, Reisterstown, MD.; great-grandchildren: Alexis, Marcella and Malakhi, Denver, CO; and Liam and Hailey, Aurora, CO. Also surviving is Betty Lee Sturtevant (Ronald) and their daughter, Cindy, Girard, PA. as well as one aunt and numerous cousins.

Jack spent his childhood in the Lake City and Girard, PA areas and joined the US Navy following graduation from the Rice Avenue Union High School in Girard and a year of study at the Behrend College of Penn State University in Erie, PA.

Following Boot Camp at Bainbridge Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, MD, he was transferred to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, IL where he met Helen Schumacher at the USO where she volunteered as a junior hostess. They were married in Norfolk, Virginia two years later.

While in the Navy, Jack served aboard the USS Tanner and USS Atakapa as an electrical technician, traveling to the Mediterranean Sea area, Europe and Caribbean. He was transferred to the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center in Maryland where he worked with the team doing research to ensure the safety of those who would be vital members of future space exploration missions. Both animals and humans were “test pilots” in the low-orbit flights into space to collect medical data on any-and-all effects on them.

Jack often commented his service in the US Navy was one of the greatest experiences of his life.

Following discharge from his military service, Jack reenrolled at Penn State University’s main campus in State College, PA to continue his studies in electrical engineering and was employed by IBM when those studies were completed and his degree awarded. He worked in the Endicott/Endwell NY area as a development engineer and relocated with his young family to Boulder, CO in the “second wave” of IBM employees. During his long career with IBM, he worked on projects that included the first printed circuit memory and the MSS and had numerous technical papers published dealing with IBM development products.

Both during his professional career as well as following retirement, Jack enjoyed his family, golf, bowling, fishing, hiking, camping, boating and travel. His love of the outdoors and Colorado were shared not only with his wife, but with his children and grandchildren giving them “special memories” to cherish and share.

Jack was and will continue to be loved by them all and will be missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 4:00 pm on Thursday, August 10, 2017 at the Howe Mortuary Chapel in Longmont. A reception will follow the services.