Obituary

Marion Jack Rinehart Jr., 88, of Charlottesville, Virginia, peacefully passed away on March 7, 2023, at Westminter Canterbury of the Blue Ridge. Born in Charlottesville, on July 5,1934, he was the son of M. Jack Rinehart and Jemima Huyler Town.

As a boy, he has fond memories of being raised with his siblings, Bruce Rinehart, Randolph Rinehart, Caroline Stuart Rinehart Stewart, and the late Betsy Rinehart Ohrstrom and Rosemary Rinehart Rogan Lewis. He attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria,Virginia and later graduated from Lane High School in 1953.

Following high school, he entered the University of Virginia, where he spent seven years and graduated from both the McIntire School of Commerce (1957) and the School of Architecture (1965). He was active at the University where he spent four years as a member of the golf team, a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (DKE), the T.I.L.K.A. Society, the Raven Society, Omnicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the IMP Society, and the "V" Club. Only upon his death did his family learn that he was also a member of the Secret Seven Society! In between graduating from the Commerce School and architecture school, Jack was commissioned as an officer in the US Army Reserves in 1957 and resigned in 1965 as a Captain.

Jack married the late Sarah 'Sally' Swindell Rinehart with whom they shared a special 58 years. Together they raised three children, Katherine Rinehart Gilbert of Baltimore, Md., Brooke Rinehart Dunn (Page Reeves Dunn) of Charlottesville, and M. Jack Rinehart III of Charlottesville. During that time, he was a member of the Albemarle Planning Commission, Chairman of the Downtown Board of Architecture and Review, and sat on many boards including Farmington Country Club and St. Anne's-Belfield School.

Jack started his own architectural practice in 1969 and quickly became known for his work in designing custom homes. He possessed an innate understanding for how people lived and used the spaces in which they inhabited. Sometimes dubbed as old school, he relied heavily on meticulously hand drawn plans to create thoughtful and tasteful designs. Besides Charlottesville and Baltimore, his work spanned the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Bath County, Virginia to Nashville, Tennessee and many places in between. He found his calling when he was asked to combine his love of golf with the renovation of golf and country clubs. One of his proudest accomplishments included creating the vision for the restoration of the main club house and design of the multiple accessory buildings at Caves Valley Golf Club in Baltimore County. Elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), he was also honored as the recipient of the Milton Grigg Award, Marcellus Wright Jr. Award, and the William C. Noland Medal, the highest award given to an architect in Virginia.

Anyone who knew Jack understood that he was more than a golf enthusiast. He adored everything about the game including the camaraderie that it provided, learning about each course's history, and the places in the world the game took him. Through golf, he cultivated many friendships and was a fervent supporter when his grandchildren also took interest in the game. Founder of the Rusty Rudder annual golf group in Kilmarnock, Virginia and an original member of The Niblick Golfers Society of Baltimore, he created many ways to weave golf into his life. Additionally, he and Sally shared a mutual interest in antiquing and spent hours attending antique shows and perusing shops. Together they were always on the hunt for the perfect golf collectible for him and the most unique Britain's lead figure for Sally.

Jack was forever a Wahoo at heart! He and Sally attended numerous UVA football, basketball, lacrosse, track, and baseball games always donning his latest orange and blue polo shirt or bow tie. Even when he couldn't physically attend events any longer, the Hoos continued to be a tremendous source of joy through their games on television and the radio.

During Covid, Jack rekindled his interest in watercolor painting. To keep himself engaged, he reminisced about his years of living in and around the Farmington area and painted a series of 25 watercolors reflecting those memories. After donating these watercolors to Farmington Country Club, he was surprised and honored to learn of the club's plans to display them in a newly created gallery, named The Rinehart Gallery.

When recently asked about his life, Jack's favorite memories included setting the shot put record at Lane High School, going through Airborne School with Lawrie Riggs ("Who did the pushing and who did the pulling?!"), hunting for thunder eggs at Camp Greenbrier, laughing with the Rusty Rudders, and connecting with the many people that he met along the way. He also mentioned the joy he found in attending his children and grandchildren's games and activities over the years. All of his grandchildren would agree that seeing Mimi and Big Jack in the stands cheering them on was a special part of their growing up.

Jack is survived by those grandchildren, William Rinehart Gilbert and fiancée, Macy Lockhart Potter, Jack Patrick Gilbert, Sarah Huyler Dunn, Malcolm Page Reeves Dunn Jr., and Evan Stuart Gilbert.

Jack's family wants to acknowledge the many Westminster Canterbury's nurses, CMTs, doctors, and physical and occupational therapists in Healthcare 2 and Catered Living for the unending care and attention given to him. There are so many special people who made Jack's last two years meaningful, and for that we are incredibly grateful.