George “Bill” William Rhyne, Jr., 81

October 29, 2023

George “Bill” William Rhyne Jr., 81, passed away peacefully on October 29, 2023, at Waters Cove Senior Living Community in Stone Mountain, GA ending his fifteen-year journey through Alzheimer’s disease.

“Bill” was a loving husband to Kathleen Rhyne, a devoted father to George William Rhyne III, Kristin Rhyne McClure, and Kelly Rhyne, a beloved older brother to Theodore and Joseph Rhyne and father-in-law to Joy Rhyne, Chris McClure, and Frank Campodonico Jr.

Bill was born in Columbus, Indiana, the eldest son of Colonel George William Rhyne and Vivien Lauer Rhyne. As the son of an Army officer, he traveled extensively in the United States, attending fourteen different schools. He accompanied his mother and brother Ted on a ship to Europe to be among the first families to move to Vienna, Austria right after the end of World War II.

Bill received his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in finance and minor in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. Post graduation, Bill served as an officer in the U.S. Army for two years in Washington D.C. He spent his entire career working for Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster, PA. He enjoyed a varied career, working in plant finance, credit management, salaried compensation management, corporate strategic planning, corporate finance, mergers, and acquisitions.

Bill was a dedicated volunteer serving in leadership positions at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, St. Edward’s Episcopal Church, and Church of the Apostles United Church of Christ in Lancaster, PA. He served the United Way of Lancaster in multiple capacities and was a board member of Hospice Lancaster County from 1985-1991.

Bill was an avid cook, inheriting all of the amazing Rhyne family recipes and was well known for his delicious spaghetti sauce, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and, of course, his epic Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings. Additionally, Bill was almost a walking encyclopedia on political science and history. He could be found either reading the latest biography of an important historical figure or catching up on the latest political commentary on his favorite news channels. But, as Kelly can attest, the only way to change the channel in the car from the news was to turn on the Broadway station as he was also a passionate music and theater lover. This passion dates all the way back to his childhood when he sang in the children’s choir at the opening of the United Nations in New York City in 1951.

Known as Papa Bill, he was thrilled to be the grandfather to five grandchildren: Sage, Rayne, & Tighe McClure and Justin & Hutch Rhyne. He was also a huge lover of all the dogs in his life including Spooky, Bandit, Toby, and his grand dogs, Snickers and Bear.

The family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Beverly Magee, Jonathan English, Monica Surry, Lorenzo Jones, Valdene Cover, Harry Mburu Mbugua, and Kim Williams for their loving care of Bill in his home as well as Carneisha Waters, Cheryl O’Neal, Yvette Fanning, and the Longleaf Hospice Staff for their attentive, compassionate care of Bill at Waters Cove Senior Living Community during the last eighteen months of his life. We also will be forever grateful to the caring staff of Integrated Memory Care of Emory Healthcare for their attentive care and family guidance and to Plymouth Harbor Adult Day Care at Central Congregational United Church of Christ for welcoming him to their loving, supportive community.

We will be celebrating Bill’s life with a service on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at 3PM at Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543. Family and friends will be received from 2-3PM at the funeral home on Sunday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made payable to Emory with a gift designation of Integrated Memory Care in honor of Bill Rhyne. Gifts may be mailed to Emory University, ℅ Office of Gift Accounting: 1762 Clifton Road Northeast, Suite 2400 | Atlanta, GA 30322 or online at https://together.emory.edu/IMCareClinic and designated to Integrated Memory Care (IMC). Bill will be interred in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 9AM.