Richard Alfred Rehnke

Richard A. Rehnke went to be with the Lord on December 22, 2022, in Mesquite, NV.   Born on May 27, 1940, in Minneapolis, MN, to Weldon A. Rehnke and Harriet Fredrikson Rehnke.  Married to Sharon L. Sausman in Denver, Colorado, on September 5, 1967, they recently celebrated their 55^th wedding anniversary.

Educated in the Denver Public Schools and graduating from South Denver High School in 1958, he then enlisted in the United States Army with assignments in Korea, and later to the US Military Academy in West Point, NY.

In May 1967, he joined the Colorado State Patrol.  First assigned to Frisco, he was promoted to Technician in 1975, transferring to Glenwood Springs in 1980.  In 1989, he proceeded to head up the State Patrol Accident Prevention Team.  He was also a highly regarded member of the motorcycle division of the State Patrol.  He was awarded the Distinguished Service medal in 1992 for heroism in the line of duty.

Retiring in 1994 with 30 years of service, he then proceeded to teach defensive driving for several years in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado.  In 2016, Richard and Sharie moved to Mesquite, NV, where he continued to volunteer, teaching reading to the local elementary school children.

Richard is survived by his wife; Sharie of Mesquite, NV, daughter; Karen Sinclair of Phoenix, AZ, son; Craig Rehnke and his husband; Michael Smith of New York City, NY, his grandchildren; Connor Sinclair and Brooke Greeley, her husband; Chris Greeley and great grandchildren; Olivia, Elise, and Morgan of Colorado Springs, CO, many nephews and nieces, his brother; Robert and his wife, Jeanie Rehnke of Highlands Ranch, CO and their daughter; Sabrina Rehnke, her children; Dexter and Oriana from Oregon.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Calvary Chapel, Mesquite, NV on March 20^, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. with a reception to follow.  The family invites you to leave a message or memory on their tribute wall at starmortuary.com.