Carl Rhinehart

1927 - 2019

Carl Rhinehart

Grinnell - Carl Rhinehart, 92, of Grinnell and formerly of Victor, died on December 23, 2019, at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell.

Funeral Services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 28, at the Smith Funeral Home in Victor with Rev. John Epperson, Grinnell Regional Hospice Chaplain. Organist will be Denise Baustian. Pallbearers are his 12 grandchildren. Burial will be in the Victor Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation, with the Rhinehart family present, will be held on Saturday, two hours prior to the service (9:00-11:00 a.m.) at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions in Carl's name may be designated to the HLV High School Music Department or Victor Public Library.

Carl Lester Rhinehart was born to Lester W. Rhinehart and Adelaide Edwards Rhinehart on a farm east of Victor, Iowa December 16, 1927. Carl graduated from Victor High School in 1945. Carl served his country in the U.S. Army 42nd Engineers in 1946 and 1947 in Korea.

On May 23, 1948 Carl married Lois Calvert in the Victor Methodist Church. They celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary in 2018. To this union the couple was blessed with four children who were raised in Victor in a big house on water tower hill.

Carl spent most of his lifetime affiliated with the family business, Rhineharts. He started working for his father at a young age. In 1950, Rhineharts pioneered highway erosion control for the Iowa Highway Commission. In 1965, Rhineharts added farm implement service, implement sales and tire sales, then in 1967 their metal building construction. Carl retired and moved to Grinnell with Lois in 1994. In 2010, the Iowa Transportation Museum honored him as "A Hero by Example" for his longtime career in highway erosion control.

Carl was an avid reader all of his life until he lost his eyesight. Carl and Lois traveled extensively throughout the United States with their children. He was a member of the Victor Lions Club, the VFW, and the Victor United Methodist Church for many years. Carl also served on the Advisory Board for the Area Community College for many years promoting the trades.

Carl loved to fish; he spent many years fishing with his family, especially his grandchildren. Carl and Lois hosted Emiko, a foreign exchange student from Japan, during the 1976-77 school year.

Carl had a fantastic memory demonstrated by the telling of many tales of growing up during the depression, serving in the Army and doing road work all over Iowa.

Carl is preceded in death by his wife Lois; his parents L.W. and Adelaide; and three brothers Donald, Clair and David Rhinehart. He is survived by his son Lester (Susan) Rhinehart of Prospect, Kentucky, and three daughters, Deanna (Les) Vavak of Elkhorn, Nebraska, Connis (John) Dayton of Grinnell, Iowa, and Christine (Rob) Russell of Ankeny, Iowa. Twelve Grandchildren, Matthew (April) Rhinehart of Louisville, Kentucky, Michael (Erin) Rhinehart of Springboro, Ohio, Andrew (Laura) Rhinehart of Louisville, Kentucky, Joseph (Kate) Vavak of Omaha, Nebraska James (Tina) Vavak of Croton on the Hudson, New York, Benjamin (Ashley) Vavak of Papillion, Nebraska, Joel (Hai-li) Dayton of Fort Worth, Texas, John (Erin) Dayton of Mitchellville, Iowa, Jason (Liz) Dayton of Beatrice, Nebraska, Krista (Jeff) Scoma of Chicago, Illinois, Eric (Emma) Dayton of San Francisco, California, and Daniel Randolph of San Raefel, California, his sister Elaine Roberts of Victor, Iowa, his sisters-in-law Betty (Ron) Faas of Santa Maria, California and Mildred (Frisbie) Miller of Omaha, Nebraska; 11 great grandchildren, Emelia, Everett, Rylee, Wrigley, Avonlea, Jacob, Lillian, Alexander, Milan, Niam and Kiran; and many nieces and nephews.