James B. Rhinehart

RHINEHART, James B. age 95, of Centerville, OH, passed away on Sunday, September 7, 2025. Jim was born on July 16, 1930 to the late Dewey and Blanche Rhinehart in Dayton, OH. He grew up in Ohio and Michigan, and graduated from Fairview High School class of 1948, before continuing his education at Miami University. Jim served 4 years in the Air National Guard in service of his country, during which he married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Whitacre. Together Jim and Pat settled in the Dayton area where he eventually co-founded Tools for Industry Inc. Over his 30 year career with TFI he was proud to supply specialized cutting tools to southwest Ohio manufacturers.

In 1979 Jim and Pat agreed to help son Doug purchase an old Victorian farmhouse on 4 acres to house his landscaping business and start a retail garden center. And with the help of the entire family, Grandma’s Gardens was founded. Jim assisted with business expertise and cosigning while Pat provided 20 years of free labor using her organizational and secretary skills. The young business grew to 14 acres and over 50 employees.

Jim was a long time member of Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church and the Dayton Model Railroad Assn. His interests included boating, computers, 4 wheeling and anything railroad related. Upon his retirement in 1995 he was able to split his time between Dayton, the Florida keys and Lake City, Colorado. Jim’s determined, optimistic, and enthusiastic character will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

He is preceded in death by his parents.

Jim is survived by his loving wife of 73 years, Patricia “Pat” Rhinehart; children, Michael (Jeanne) Rhinehart, Doug (Paulette) Rhinehart, and Wendy Gray; grandchildren, Alissa (Lee) Shuster, Amanda Rhinehart, Jake (Hannah) Rhinehart, and Patty (Kimberly Neu) Rhinehart; great-grandchildren, Haylee, Michael, Morgan, Taylor, Ethan, and Jonah; and numerous extended family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Friday, September 12, 2025, at Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church, 4417 Bigger Rd. Kettering, OH 45440, with a luncheon to follow. Inurnment at Woodland cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, or to the Hinsdale County Historical Society, https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/HinsdaleCountyHistoricalSociety .

The family would like to thank the Advanced Care staff at Miami Valley Main Hospital and Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for the exceptional care they provided Jim.

A reflection from Jim's son Doug

Dad loved Colorado railroad history and spent years following the routes of many of the old gold and silver mining railroads. Dad was also a four-wheel-drive enthusiast enabling

him to track some of the most obscure mountain railroads. What great great family memories we have of those adventures!

After retiring mom and dad built a cabin along a river in Lake City, Colorado. He spent summers restoring the old Denver and Rio Grande RR caboose that once plied the rails through the canyon into Lake City.

Another of dad’s projects was locating one of the original 1890s passenger cars that used to carry passengers into his beloved Lake City. The museum has almost finished restoring the old combination passenger car and is now seeking funds to build a roof structure constructed of timbers with a gabled roof to protect the two restored cars from the weather.

If you would like to help us preserve dad‘s two favorite railroad cars, in lieu of flowers, you may consider sending a donation to Hinsdale County Historical Society towards construction of the “railroad car protective roof structure”. This will cover the two wooden railroad cars that are over 125 years old.