James Edwin Rinehart

James Edwin Rinehart, 89, Nevada, passed away on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, at Barone Alzheimer's Care Center, Nevada, following a lengthy illness. He was born May 24, 1921, in Nevada, to Joseph Raymond Rinehart and Ula Blanch Letton Rinehart. He married Helen L. Hines on July 13, 1946, in Nevada, and she preceded him in death on Aug. 18, 1988.

Jim graduated from Nevada High School in 1939. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II in the South Pacific from 1941-1945. Following the service, he came back to Nevada and went to work for Woodfill's Jewelry in Nevada. In 1952, he bought the jewelry department from Dr. Clay Walker and founded Rinehart Jewelry Store which the family still owns and operates today. Jim became semi-retired in 1985, although he continued coming in to the store until last August. Jim was a member of the First Christian Church of Nevada and Elder Emeritus. He was a member of the American Gem Society, the Nevada Vernon County Chamber of Commerce, a longtime member and former board member of the Nevada Country Club. He enjoyed golfing, fishing, and quail hunting with his family and friends. He was a member of the Osage Lodge No. 303 of Nevada and received his 55-year pin in 2010.

Survivors include two daughters, Kathy Butler and her husband, Sonny, and Susie Platt and her husband, Bill, all of Nevada; four grandchildren, Jennifer Zermeno and her husband, Cesar, Nevada, Jay Butler and his wife, Amanda, Springfield, Mo., Shawna Gannaway and Erica Bernhardt, both of the state of Florida; two great-grandchildren, Taner Nguyen and Dominic Zermeno; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Helen; one brother, Joseph Rinehart; and one sister, Betty Dowell.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 5, at the First Christian Church in Nevada, with the Rev. Bill Platt and the Rev. David Rorabaugh officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in Newton Burial Park, Nevada. Friends may call now and until 8 p.m., Friday, at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada. The family receives friends from 6-7 p.m., Friday, March 4, at the funeral home.

Those who wish may contribute in his memory to the First Christian Church, Nevada, or left in c/o Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada.