Christine Mastores Rehnke

CHRISTINE REHNKE July 29, 1920 ­– June 20, 2017 Christine Mastores Rehnke of Belle Meade, Tennessee died after a brief illness on the eve of the summer solstice, almost at the age of ninety-seven. She was the daughter of Peter (Panagiotes) Nickolas Mastores, known as “Mr. Peters,” and Bertha (Diamondo) Koclanis Mastores. She was preceded in death by her husband Edgar Rehnke, who died in 1998 after 52 years of marriage; and her siblings, Nickolas Mastores, M.D., George Mastores, Louis Mastores, James Mastores, Dorothy McCulloch and Ethel Moran. Christine grew up in Chicago, Illinois during the Great Depression. Her father and older brother sold fruit and vegetables from a horse-drawn wagon when she was a child. For a number of years, her family lived in the coach house of the Pullman estate, where her father stabled his horse. Christine recalled playing on the Fort Dearborn Massacre statue in front of the Pullman home. Challenges and deprivations in early life shaped her into the proud and resourceful person that she became. Adventurous and patriotic, Christine joined the Woman’s Army Corps (the WACs) in WWII—enlisting before women’s uniforms were even available. She rose to the rank of sergeant and her pride as a veteran was admirable. When a restored WWII bomber flew in Nashville, Christine, wearing her aviator sunglasses and her original WAC uniform, was on board on her 90th birthday. Her military uniform and shoes still look perfect and still fit her. Her funeral service will include a military honor guard. Christine met Edgar while stationed at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida and they married on April 25th, 1946 in New York City. After a year of living in New York City, Christine and Ed moved to Nashville where they built their house in Belle Meade by hand. Edgar worked at the Methodist Publishing House. They shared a love of dogs, golf, antiques, and their country club, Hillwood, where they were founding members in 1953. Christine was an avid golfer (achieving a hole in one twice in her lifetime) and a distance walker, both well into her eighties. She treated everyone as an equal and she was outgoing and friendly to all. Working as a telephone company supervisor in Nashville, she attended a company presentation. When she learned that no one had made dinner arrangements for the speaker, Christine insisted that he join her and Edgar for a home-cooked meal. Thus began a friendship that lasted for decades with W. Edwards Deming, the renowned efficiency expert. Although he was world-famous, to Chris he was just her old friend Ed. When Christine learned a new skill—needlepoint, painting, knitting—she would master it and her output was prodigious. She kept her creations, like everything in her home, in meticulous order. When she learned of an elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee her interest was wholehearted and she donated to that cause for many years. She maintained records documenting everything, and she could recall all of the details. She could tell a great story and she always remembered exactly what people said. Christine remained close to her extended family including her older brother, Nickolas Mastores, and his wife, Mary Ellen. She and Edgar visited them in Evanston, Illinois often and they shared many interests including travel, antiques and boating on Lake Michigan. In Greece, they returned to her father’s ancestral village, St. Basil’s (Ayios Vasileios) and her mother’s village, Old Town (Paleohorion), in the mountains east of Sparta. Those villages, time capsules from the Middle Ages, survived Nazi occupation in WWII. Like those ancient villages, Christine was tough and she was a survivor. On that trip, Christine met the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church who held her hand-- something that was “unheard of.” She was blessed. After her beloved Edgar passed, Christine continued to live alone, with her Weimaraner, in their home. She did her own cooking, shopping, and driving into her nineties. Christine was always learning and kept a stack of books on her bedside table. All who knew her loved her, respected her, and appreciated her intelligence, outgoing personality, and wry sense of humor. The way she rolled her eyes at an absurdity was unforgettable. She was a remarkable woman. She will be missed. And her best friend, Adda, her Weimaraner, will miss her more than we can know. She is survived by sister-in-law, Lyn Mastores of Picayune, MS; nephew, Kent (Constance) Mastores of Oakland, CA; nephew, Scott (Laura) Mastores, M.D. and their daughter Katherine Mastores of Richmond, IN; niece, Pat Mastores of Chicago, IL and her sons Jason and Alexander Abele; niece, Anne Mastores of Chicago, IL; nephew, Peter (Mercine) Mastores of Phoenix, AZ and their children Stephanie and Christopher; nephew, James Mastores (Cathy) of Lake Zurich, IL and their children Nickolas and Annmae; nephew, Nickolas (Donna) Mastores of Orland Hills, IL and their sons Alexander and Anthony; niece, Mary Kay Heppert of Clermont, FL; nephew, Marcus (Margie) Mastores of Picayune, MS and their daughters Andrea, and Julia; niece, Jane Mastores of Picayune, MS; nephew, Jim McCulloch of New Albany, IN and his daughters Stacey and Stephanie; nephew, Wesley (Debbie) McCulloch of Taylorville, KY and their daughter Cheryl; and nephew, Steven McCulloch of Jeffersonville, IN and his son Lucas. She is also survived by Edgar’s sister-in-law, Katie W. Rehnke; his nephew Ernest (Linda) Rehnke, M.D. and their daughter Elizabeth; and by his nephew, Robert (Tammy) Rehnke, M.D. and their twin daughters Katelynn and Shelby, all of St. Petersburg, FL. Christine would want to thank her loyal caregivers and close friends for their care during her last years. Family and friends will gather on Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at eleven o’clock in the morning at Woodlawn Memorial Park for a graveside service.