More detail on this person: Don E Rife Obituary: Don E. Rife Journal-Standard, The (Freeport, IL) - Wednesday, May 9, 2012 Don E. Rife passed away on May 8, 2012, at 7:34 p.m. Born in Elizabeth, on May 2, 1945, he was a son of the late Ralph L. and Dorothy C. Ertmer Rife. Upon graduation form Elizabeth High School in 1963, he served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1967. He was trained as a helicopter pilot and served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965. Don married Mary Ellen Albrecht on Aug. 7, 1965, in Elizabeth. He worked for Metropolitan Circuits, a circuit board manufacturing company, in Elmhurst. Don then worked for Dynachem-Thiokol as a salesman from December 1973, until retiring in October 1995. He and Mary Ellen lived in Worthington and Pataskala, Ohio, until 2001, until they moved to Greenwood, S.C. Most important to Don was his wife, family, and church. He enjoyed many years of traveling, playing golf, fishing, boating, and lawn work. Don is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Rife of Greenwood; three children, Don E. (Dana) Rife II of Sharon Center, Ohio, Brenda (Scott) Jameson of Alpharetta, Ga., and Dennis (Jeannie) Rife of Holland, Ohio; six grandchildren; four sisters, Carol (Don) Fisher of Elizabeth, Connie (Eugene) Ertmer of Omro, Wis., Mary "Marg" (Tom) Gulovich of Appleton, Wis., and Julie (Randy) Jobgen of Galena; two brothers, Thomas "Tom" (Nancy) Rife of Elizabeth and Jack (Deb) Rife of Lena; and many nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 11, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, with Rev. James Crowley officiating. Pallbearers will be Jack Rife, Tom Rife, Mitch Howes, Pat Haley, Don Miller, and Charlie Jones. On May 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., the family will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home, with a vigil service at 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church -- Debt Reduction Fund, 915 Mathis Road, Greenwood, SC 29649.
Burial information: Cremated, Location of ashes unknown
This information was last updated 04/21/2020
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list
Return to VHPA web site
Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association