Charles Francis Rinkevich Sr.

Charles Rinekevich Sr.

Charles Francis Rinkevich Sr. passed away on March 23, 2025, peacefully at home. He was 84 years of age. His leadership, friendship and integrity will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Charles, a.k.a Charlie, was the son of Peter and Genevieve Rinkevich. Peter was the Chief of Police in Grandville, a suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Genevieve was a wife and homemaker. Charlie grew up in Grandville, attended Grandville Elementary School, and subsequently Holy Name Parochial School in Wyoming, Michigan, and Grandville Junior and Senior High School, graduating in 1958. While in high school, he was active in football and wrestling, serving as all-conference football tackle in his senior year. He attended Grand Rapids Junior College in Grand Rapids for two years then transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, where he majored in police administration and graduated with honors in June 1962.

After a six-month tour on active duty with the U.S. Army Reserves at Fort Knox, Kentucky, he joined the Michigan State University Police in 1963. He left that position in 1965 to become a lieutenant of police and the training officer for the Savannah Police Department. During the next decade Charlie spent time as an instructor and law enforcement consultant with the University of Georgia in Athens, a law enforcement consultant with the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Washington, D.C., Director of the Pennsylvania State Crime Commission in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Regional Administrator of the Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration in Philadelphia, and later, Atlanta.

In 1982 and 1983 he was tasked by the White House to coordinate two federal government task forces, one in Atlanta to provide federal aid to assist the community in dealing with a series of child murders (the Wayne Williams murders); and the second to assist the Miami community to deal with an influx of illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants.

In 1983, Charlie and his family moved to St. Simons Island, when he was appointed Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) at Glynco, near Brunswick, where he managed an annual budget of over $100 million and an agency that graduated more than 25,000 students annually from its three campuses. While at Glynco Charlie received the Federal Government's Presidential Rank Award. In 1985, he received a Masters of Governmental Administration degree from Georgia State University. He retired from the FLETC in 1998 and consulted part time for a private corporation which provided law enforcement training for federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. He retired from that position in 2005 after more than 40 years of dedicated service in law enforcement and criminal justice at the local, state and federal levels.

He has been a member of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers, the National Sheriff's Association, the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce for which he served on the board of directors, a member of the Glynn County Airport Commission for which he served two years as chairman, the board of trustees of the College of Coastal Georgia Foundation in Brunswick, chairman of the board of directors of the United Way of Coastal Georgia, the Glynn County Police Advisory Panel, and member of the board of directors of Hospice of the Golden Isles. He is a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and was recently appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia to continue to lend his expertise.

Charlie and his wife Sara met while both worked in Washington, D.C., and were married in 1969 in Arlington, Virginia. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and he is survived by his two children, Charles Francis Rinkevich Jr. on St. Simons Island and Monica Rinkevich Pathi (Michael) in Atlanta; and his two grandchildren, David and Sara Pathi. He is also survived by his three siblings, Alice Carrell (Joe), Tom Rinkevich (Candy) and Peter Rinkevich (Pat).

Charlie was preceded in death by his loving wife of 55 years, Sara, who passed away at their home only a few months ago.

EPITAPH

A limb has fallen from the family tree.

I keep hearing a

voice that says,

"Grieve not for me."

Remember the best times, the laughter,

and the song.

The good life I lived while I was strong.

Continue my heritage, I'm counting on you.

Keep smiling and surely the sun will shine through.

My mind is at ease,

my soul is at rest.

Remembering all, how I truly was blessed.

Family-placed obituary

The Brunswick News, March 26, 2025