Warren Rinehart (1933-2017)

Warren Rinehart of Leander, Texas died peacefully on July 8, 2017 at St. David’s Hospital in Georgetown, Texas, surrounded by family.

Warren was born to Howard W. Rinehart and Claire Elizabeth Rinehart on June 12, 1933. He was baptized at Martin Luther Church in Canton, Ohio on August 22, 1933, and confirmed on April 13, 1947. He is a 1957 graduate of Capital University, where he met his wife Patricia. In 1962, he graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary (formerly Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary) in Columbus, Ohio.

Completing internship at St. John Evangelical Lutheran in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Warren was ordained to the holy ministry on April 29, 1962 at Martin Luther in Canton, Ohio. He went on to serve his first call at St. Peter’s in Edon, Ohio. In 1964, he was called by the Board of Missions of the American Lutheran Church to plant a congregation in Grand Blanc, Michigan. He stayed at Holy Spirit Lutheran for 33 years.

After retiring in 1997, he moved to Leander, Texas and served as an interim pastor for congregations in all three Texas synods for over ten years. Among those congregation were:

St. Paul in La Grange, TX
Elizabeth in Caldwell, TX
Our Saviors in College Station, TX
First in Waco, TX
Zion in MacGregor, TX
Faith in Weimar, TX
Immanuel in Pflugerville, TX (2000-2001)
Palm Valley in Round Rock, TX
Hope in Buckholts, TX

He loved ministry, family, gardening, cooking, music, football, and cars. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Patricia Rinehart, his children Michael and wife Susan, Paul and wife Karen, and Katie, and his seven grandchildren John, Nicolas, Gregory, Abbey, Sarah, Heidi, and Yuliana.

Memorial Service

Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 1:00 PM
Triumphant Love Lutheran Church
9508 Great Hills Trail
Austin, TX 78759-7290

A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, friends are invited to give to the Rinehart Memorial Fund. Gifts will be split among several charities including Alzheimer’s research and Triumphant Love Lutheran Church. Checks can be made to Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, c/o Rinehart Memorial, 9508 Great Hills Trail, Austin, TX 78759-7290, or you may donate online with Triumphant Love.

Back in April of 2017, I posted a bit about my dad, when he was struggling.