Alex H. Rine

Alex Rine of Aurora, Colorado passed away on Friday, January 28th, 2022 at the age of 90.

Alex was born Alexander Max Herman Reinholtz on June 26th, 1931 in Berlin, Germany. He was the second child and first son of Max and Anna (Freund) Reinholtz. He had an older sister, Irma; a younger sister, Eva; and a younger brother, Wolfgang.

Alex was only 8 years old when World War II broke out, and just shy of 14 when Germany surrendered. During much of that time, he was sent out of Berlin and into the countryside to be away from the bombings. At the end of the war, he had to travel hundreds of miles on foot to make it back to Berlin and be reunited with his family.

Growing up in Germany during and after WWII involved lots of fear, chaos, and hard times. But Alex also had lots of fond memories of spending time with his family, celebrating traditional German Christmases, and appreciating the beauty of the country.

While in Germany, Alex attended a trade school and learned carpentry. Then when he was 24, he moved to Toronto, Canada, and lived there for a year before coming to the United States. Just weeks after his arrival in the U.S. in 1956, he was drafted into the U.S. military and chose to join the Air Force, where he worked in a finance position. During his 20 year Air Force career, he was stationed in various locations across the U.S. in addition to being stationed abroad in Tripoli, Libya; Saigon, Vietnam; and London, England.

After retiring from the Air Force, Alex had a 20 year career working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, after which he spent an additional 12 years working as a greeter at Walmart.

In 1962 Alex married his first wife, Gwendolyn Sue Palmer, and they were married for 14 years. They had two children together. Their daughter Vicki was born in 1966, and their son Eric was born in 1968.

After he retired from the Air Force, Alex, Vicki, Eric, and their beloved dog, a Westy named Frosty, lived in Colorado.

In 1984, Alex married his wife Elba (Clark) Rine, whom he met while attending the same church. The two remained lovingly married for the rest of his life.

Outside of work, some of Alex's favorite pastimes included putting together jigsaw puzzles and building model ships and airplanes. Alex also enjoyed photography, going to church, listening to opera, and watching ball games on TV with his wife Elba. Alex also enjoyed being outdoors and loved to go fishing.

Alex had a quirky, playful sense of humor. He liked to tease people when they came to visit by saying, "Oh, no, not you again. Who let this trouble-maker in?" And then he would get a big, mischievous grin on his face. During conversations or TV shows, he would lean over to the person sitting next to him and interject funny little side comments and observations.

Alex will be remembered for his kindness, playfulness, love, and optimism anchored in his strong faith in God. He will be missed by all those he loved and who loved him.

Alex is survived by his wife, Elba Rine, of Aurora, Colorado; his daughter Vicki Hinkle and her husband Mike Hinkle of Sayre, Oklahoma; his son Eric Rine and his wife Heather Alvarado of Denver, Colorado; his stepdaughter Peggy Clark of Aurora, Colorado; his stepdaughter Staci Kenworthy and her husband Mike Kenworthy of Aurora, Colorado; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Max and Anna (Freund) Reinholtz; and his siblings Irmgard Reinholtz, Eva (Reinholtz) Lissock, and Wolfgang Reinholtz.

Alex's services will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time. Click Here to view the service.

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