Harry Rinker

1921 - 2021

Harry Rinker
February 4, 1921 - August 23, 2021
Newport Beach, California - Harry S. Rinker passed away peacefully at the age of 100.5 years on August 23, 2021 at his home in Newport Beach. We have joyful memories of his long life and legacy. Harry was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather and had an 80-year career in real estate development and investments. He was surrounded and comforted by his wife and family members in the last days and weeks of his life reminiscing of his long and fruitful adventures of both his personal life and career.
Harry was born February 4, 1921 in Ontario, Canada and at the age of two moved with his parents (both American citizens) to Tacoma, WA. He grew up in the great depression and learned hard work by mowing lawns and having a newspaper route at the early age of 10.
Driven to succeed he worked a night time job during high school and then went on to be a residential real estate broker. That was his genesis for having a very long 80-year career in real estate. After being a home builder for several years he moved to Newport Beach, CA in 1951 and became a tract home builder in Orange County building several thousand homes. He then transitioned to shopping center development constructing over 60 shopping centers which also included building several hundred gas stations throughout California and Oregon. He discovered the beautiful town of Sun Valley, ID almost 60 years ago and performed several high-end residential developments including Gimlet, Golden Eagle Ranch, Riverview Ranch, and a few more. Rinker Company still exists today and his tradition and legacy carries on with his family office.
Harry was proud to be of service to others and give back to the community. Since 1976 he served on the Board of Trustees for Chapman University and along with his wife, Diane, contributed $15MM to establish the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine, CA. He also served on the Board of Trustees for both Eisenhower Medical in Palm Desert, CA and Horatio Alger in Washington, DC where he was inducted in 2002. In 2014 Harry and Diane gave back to the Sun Valley, ID community by donating to the Wood River Land Trust and establishing a conservation easement on their 10,400-acre "Rock Creek Ranch" just west of the town. He loved and adored to exercise his environmental and conservation efforts which was his passion.
We are very thankful to all our friends, employees, associates and caregivers for your loving and kind support of Harry and our family during the last weeks and months of Harry's life. There will be a Celebration of Life in the near future. Harry was a larger-than-life person who positively touched everyone he came in contact with. Our memories of him and all the accomplishments he achieved will be remembered forever.
The Rinker Family