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Leslie A. Rinehart Obituary
Leslie Alan Rinehart, 73, of Denver, NC passed away surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023, after a nearly three year long valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born on May 22, 1950 to the late Carl Rinehart and the late Margaret Rinehart.
Les was a native of Newark, Ohio and grew up surrounded by a large, loving family, enjoying countless bicycle rides out to the country with his cousin, Steve. He spent his career in the field of wellness and fitness, instructing in and managing gyms. He was passionate about helping others feel better and helping others accomplish their goals. In 2018, Les moved to North Carolina to be closer to his sons and grandchildren. Les loved his family deeply, and his grandchildren were certainly no exception. He enjoyed every moment he spent with them and, of course, he made sure they were keeping active. Inumerable games of indoor soccer, basketball, and football were thoroughly enjoyed in our house, and many walls have the marks to prove it. Perhaps the best way to sum up how Les felt about his family and his life would be in his own words to his grandchildren, “I have been blessed.”
Les will be deeply missed by his sons; Shane, Casey, and Bryan, his daughter-in-laws; Jody and Jessie, his grandchildren; Ronan, Jason, Carl, Charli, Hudson, and Lachlan, and many other family and friends.
A Celebration of Life service will be held for close friends and family from 12-2 pm Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at the home of Casey and Jessie Rinehart.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Les Rinehart, please visit our sympathy store. Online condolences may be made at www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.
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Roger McDonald
Les was a constant fixture in my (and my family's) life throughout our school years. He lived in the West End on South 32nd Street and was a classmate at Cherry Valley and Wilson Jr. High, and obviously at NHS. He was something of a character as a kid: Indeed, when my brother and I watched an episode of "Leave it to Beaver" and pondered the smooth machinations of Eddie Haskell, we turned to each other and exclaimed, "Les!" His parents and their neighbors must have been saints or hard-of-hearing when we spent countless hours playing basketball on the small court in his driveway. One memory of those days involving my mother sticks in my mind, her daubing blackface on Les's and my faces in our kitchen, preparatory to our playing "minstrels" in a skit in the gym at Cherry Valley. We were to mimic Southern black dialect and call out names of students and teachers we saw in the audience. My God, how innocent we were . . . . Then years later, I calculated, with envious amazement, that Les had dated, was dating, or was planning to date every girl in the Class of '68. As suggested above, he always was a very smooth operator.
After graduation, I saw much less of Les, as our paths diverged both geographically and socially. But in later decades, Les became a welcome presence at my brother's home in Newark, as he would return to visit his own family and take time to drop in to see my folks and my brother's new brood. Indeed, he became a great, reliable "uncle" to them. He especially championed the Otterbein women's volleyball squad, coached by my niece, traveling from North Carolina to watch important matches and tournament play. We spent several days together last year at one of those tournaments in Michigan, where he talked candidly of the cancer that eventually took his life. Typically, he was confident that he would beat it.
Rest in peace, "Eddie." I'll never forget you.