Bobbie Junior Rinehart
Bobbie Junior Rinehart was born January 3, 1930 to Orval (Bob) Rinehart and Mildred (Wilson) Rinehart at the family farm in Hatfield, Missouri. He passed away peacefully at the Worth County Convalescent Center on September 27, 2023. He was the second of four children (Kathryn, Bobbie, Ronnie and Dennis). Bobbie attended elementary school at a country school located a few miles northwest of the family farm, and according to his version of the story, he was so smart that he skipped second grade. He attended high school and played basketball for the Hatfield Mo School District and graduated in 1947.
After graduation Bobbie continued to devote himself to the family farm. In 1951, he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He graduated as an army auto mechanic with the 5th armored division at Camp Chaffee, AR. He then went to base camp at Fort Hood in Texas, and was then shipped out to Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1953 with the title of Corporal, and returned to his family’s farm with a tendency to always wear his hat sitting slightly sideways. He met his wife AnnaBelle Black in 1954 at the Grant City skating rink and they were married on December 31, 1954. They began to build their life together on the “old place” (as it had originally been his grandparents, Ira and Pearl Rinehart’s), where Gary Lynn and Sherri Lea were born. In 1960, Bobbie built their current home and moved his family there, which is where Kathy Ann, Melinda Sue and Bobbi Jo were born and raised. Bobbie and Annabelle continued to raise their five children with much family love and lots of humor.
Bobbie was connected to the land and it served as a compass for his life and his family. He was not afraid of hard work from sunrise to sunset. In the beginning he raised hogs and milk cows. Over the years, the family farm continued with cattle, corn, soybeans, and sometimes wheat, as well as a plentiful garden. Homemade and homegrown was how he was raised and was a tradition he continued. He loved walking the fields of the farm, hunting arrowheads and mushrooms, slicing open a watermelon and watching the seasons change as the crops matured. He enjoyed bringing in the fall harvest and watching the baby calves be born. He loved sharing the farm with his family; some were lucky enough to test the electric fence, drive very near the edge of the riverbank, and slide on the solidly frozen ponds. He was interested in the history of the land, and worked to be a good shepherd of its future, never hunting and always tending to his crops like they were family.
Bobbie was clever, witty, intelligent, funny, frugal and loved to visit with others. These traits led him to volunteer at the Allendale Rodeo, Lotts Grove Cemetery and to support the watershed commission projects. He enjoyed going fishing, making homemade kites for all the kids to fly, playing pitch, and making homemade ice cream. He was known for his sweet tooth, and no one was ever surprised when his dessert plate was as full as his main plate. He was always willing to help his friends and neighbors, and was known to have pulled out many stuck tractors, trucks and buses. Bobbie was a role model of thrift and how to find happiness in everyday things. He was happiest when his family came and spent time with him and AnnaBelle on the farm. Their welcoming demeanor, his humor, and her desserts and sweet tea kept family, friends and neighbors walking through the door frequently for a visit.
Bobbie was preceded in death by his wife AnnaBelle in 2019; his parents, Orval and Mildred Rinehart; his sister Kathryn Adams; brother Dennis Rinehart; sister-in-law Betty Myers; brother-in-law Charles Black and brother-in-law Dale Owens. He is survived by his brother Ronnie (Lena) Rinehart of Mission, TX; sister-in-law Mary Owens of Leon, IA and sister-in-law Jeane Seipp (Ron) of Apple Valley, MN. He is also survived by his five children: Gary Rinehart of Hatfield, MO; Sherri Adams (Rod) of Lamoni, IA; Kathy Armijo (Michael) of Albuquerque, NM; Melinda Bollinger (Scott) of Smithville, MO and Bobbi Gladstone (Daniel) of Worth, MO. Bobbie had 14 grandchildren – (oldest to youngest)- Jennifer Adams-Potter (Garry), Kara Craig (Bryan), Jason Rinehart (Ashley), Cassandra Adams-Beal (Stephen), Blaque Armijo, Jacob Bollinger (Madison), Brook Armijo (Walker), Nicholas Bollinger, Jonathon Armijo, Anna Gladstone, Aydan Gladstone, Curtis Bollinger, Wilson Bollinger, and Renae Gladstone. Bobbie also had 10 great-grandchildren – (oldest to youngest) Alyssa Noe (Garrett), Ethan Potter, Chase Potter (Sadie), Caleb Parman, Logan Craig, Alex Rinehart, Reese Potter, Andrew Craig, Nora Potter and Quincy Beal, and one great-great grandchild, Tucker Noe.
Memorial Services with military rites will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City with visitation from 10:00 a.m. to service time. Burial will be at a later date at Lotts Grove Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the Lotts Grove Cemetery.
