John D. "Jack" Rihs

John Douglas (Jack) Rihs, age 77, of Ohio Township, passed away on January 19, 2026. He was the beloved

husband of the late Sandra Ritchie Rihs; loving father of Bethany (Andrew) Weidenhammer, Jonathan (Staci)

Rihs, and Alison (Derrick) Day. He was "Pap" to Abigail, Madison, and Jacob Rihs; Aaron and Matthew

Weidenhammer; Wyatt Day; and he was excited to find out that there is another Day grandchild on the way.

Jack was preceded in death by his sister, Arlene Timmons, and his parents, John George Rihs and Lillian

Armbruster Rihs. He is survived by his cousin/travel buddy, Doug Burns, who was more like a brother.

He graduated from North Allegheny High School in 1966 and Point Park College in 1970.

In his younger days, Jack was a volunteer EMT for McCandless Franklin Park Ambulance Authority and even

delivered a baby. However, microbiology was his passion and he began his lifelong career as a microbiologist at

the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in 1971. He was soon promoted to Clinical Microbiology Supervisor and

held that position for 26 years until retiring in 2006. Retirement was not for him, so he went on to become the VP

of Laboratory Services and one of the original members of the Special Pathogens Laboratory. He spent much of

his career working with Legionella and was a well-respected leader in the field, co-authoring over 40 scientific

publications, discovering a new genus of bacterium and he even had a cameo on NBC Nightly News.

Recently, Jack gave up management and went back to a lab tech position where he could spend his days just

doing the microbiology bench work that he truly loved. That was his idea of retirement.

In Jack's 55 years as a member of Ingomar United Methodist Church, he volunteered his time to the usher team,

the local homeless shelter, the cemetery committee and the funeral luncheon committee. He also volunteered

with Habitat for Humanity and Animal Friends. He built a koi pond in his backyard and hosted many "pond

parties". He loved seeing the grandkids' and neighbor kids' faces light up when they got to feed the fish. And,

most importantly, Jack bled black and gold like any true "Yinzer".

Friends will be received on Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Simons Funeral Home,

Inc., with a memorial service immediately following the visitation. 7720 Perry Highway,

www.simonsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Animal Friends (www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org).