Richard Marc Renkin

Rich’s family moved to the Catskills when he was 10 years old, and unfortunately his father died when Rich was 11 years old. The family remained in Monticello, New York, and Rich attended State University of New York at Oswego. Being an attorney was his goal, so he chose to attend law school in San Diego, California.

He established his residence and family in San Diego and became a highly successful family law attorney. He is survived by Paula Renkin, his daughter Allyson Renkin, his son Robert Renkin, and his two grandchildren, Dipper and Victor Pottorff, along with his sister Joan Sass.

Serving his clients was his pathway to becoming an esteemed family law attorney. He was a Certified Family Law Specialist, was repeatedly selected for Super Lawyers, was designated with Martindale Hubbel peer-rated AV Preeminent Judicial Edition and chosen by Best Lawyers in America.

Further, Rich volunteered for the San Diego County Superior Court as a mandatory settlement conference judge for approximately thirty years and for the Family Support Division. He also served on the Kids’ Turn Board of Directors for several years. He presented seminars for the San Diego County Bar Association as well as the San Diego Family Law Bar Association.

Being involved in the community and staying active in hobbies was very important to Rich. In the community, he was past president of the Downtown Lions Club as well as chair of the Welfare Foundation, member of the San Diego Leukemia Lymphoma Society Man Woman of the Year Board of Directors, umpire for the San Carlos Little League, member of the Beth Israel Men’s Club, and member of the Encinitas chamber of Commerce, to name a few.

Rich participated in the martial arts and achieved black belts in Kempo karate and judo and a brown sash in the art called Arnis de Mano. He expanded his interest in wine and food by becoming a member of La Chaine de Rotisseurs and the Commanderie de Bordeaux-San Diego. For recreation, Rich and his wife Paula enjoyed river rafting and went on guided tours in Costa Rica, Mexico, California, and down the Colorado River. Travel was the reward for his passionate devotion to his career.

Family was the cornerstone of Richard’s life. He admired his wife, children, and grandchildren and made sure he was home in the evenings to share meals and conversation. He traveled with his family and participated in their interests, sports, and hobbies. Seeing them succeed with happiness fulfilled him.

We are providing the option of making a donation to UCSD's Pancreatic Cancer Research program, in lieu of flowers, if you would like to honor Rich with your expression. The donations will go to UCSD Early Pancreatic Cancer Detection Research through this link https://giveto.ucsd.edu/giving/home/add-gift .