Perry Hendricks Rahn

1936 - 2026

Perry Hendricks Rahn

October 27, 1936 - January 15, 2026

Perry Hendricks Rahn, 89, passed away on January 15, 2026 at Westhills Village in Rapid City, S.D.

Perry was born on October 27, 1936, in Allentown, Pa., son of Douglas A. Rahn and Frances E. Weisel Rahn.

Perry attended elementary school in Allentown with his dog Spot, and he became famous when their photo appeared in Life Magazine. His participation in Boy Scouts fostered a love of the outdoors, and earned him the rank of Eagle. In 1954 Perry graduated from Allentown High School. He attended Lafayette College in Easton, graduating in 1959 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a B.A. in Geology, and working summers for the forest service.

From 1959 to 1961 he worked as an engineering geologist in California, then as a smokejumper in Montana, before starting graduate school at the Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a PhD in Geology in 1965.

In 1962, he married Mely de Neufville.

From 1965 to 1968, he was an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut. From 1968 to 1997, he taught engineering geology, geomorphology, and hydrogeology courses at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota.

In 1970, he purchased some land near Mount Rushmore, and over the following decades demonstrated his love and care for its natural beauty by transforming the location into his own paradise. His lodge, lake and the surrounding forest became his refuge after he retired from Mines as an Emeritus Professor in 1997.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Mely; his sons, Christopher Rahn and his wife, Jeanne Vidmar, Petersburg, Pa.; Michael Rahn and his wife, Tami Rahn, Rochester, Minn.; Jeffrey Rahn and his wife, Kelli Cree, Sunnyvale, Calif.; and Andrew Rahn and his wife, Becka Rahn, Minneapolis, Minn.; grandchildren, Matthew, Hillsboro, Ore.; Kevin and his wife, Lena Ogiwara, Bremerton, Wash.; Katelin, Pittsburg, Pa.; Alexander, Laramie, Wyo.; Taylor Roth and her husband, Nathan Roth, St. Peters, Mo.; James, San Gregorio, Calif.; Thomas, Berkeley, Calif.; and Allison, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Funeral Service will be at 10 a.m. at Kirk Funeral Home on Saturday, January 24, 2026.