James Erston Rheim

Dr. James E. Rheim (1942-2026)

Dr. James E. Rheim, respected dermatologist, accomplished athlete, devoted family man, and 50-year resident of Carmel Valley, California, passed away on June 30, 2026. He spent his final days, recuperating from pancreatic cancer surgery and reminiscing about his long and wonderful life.

Born on July 17, 1942 in San Diego, CA, Jim attended Stanford University, then Tulane University School of Medicine. Following his medical training, he entered the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and served as a captain treating flight personnel.

For 48 years, Dr. Rheim lived his dream job as a Dermatologist in Monterey, where he became a pillar of the local healthcare community. Throughout nearly five decades of practice, Dr. Rheim was known for his clinical excellence and his compassionate manner. He looked at medicine as a partnership with his patients, treating multiple generations of local families. Upon his retirement, he expressed immense gratitude to the community, noting that sharing stories of families, travels, and pets with his patients was a daily source of inspiration for him.

Dr. Rheim’s professional legacy proudly continues through his son, Dr. Joseph Rheim, who joined the dermatology practice in 2004. Jim was equally proud of his daughter, Rebecca Rheim (Staley) for her 25 year career as a middle school English and history teacher at All Saints Day School.

Both children were inspired by their father’s dedicated work ethic.

Beyond his fulfilling medical career, Jim was also a lifelong athlete. He excelled at golf and had years of joy as a long-distance runner. On the Stanford University Golf Team, he was a three-time All American. He continued playing in multiple USGA amateur tournaments during summers while attending Tulane Medical School and into the early years of his medical career.

Jim and his wife, Anna, joined Monterey Peninsula Country Club in 1977 after moving to the Monterey Peninsula the prior year for Jim to join Dr. Rolf Johnsen in his Dermatology practice and to pursue his love of golf. That same year Jim accomplished the rare feat of qualifying for the U.S. Open as an amateur. It would not be his last thrill as a golfing doctor.

Dr. Rheim’s proudest athletic moment was winning the 1989 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with pro partner Steve Jones. The previous year the pair came in second in that tournament. For a full year Jim imagined how he wanted the following AT&T to end. It came to pass on national television when Jim sunk a nine-foot birdie putt, net eagle, on the final 72nd hole to win the pro-am with Jones by one stroke.

Golf provided not only glorious competition, but most importantly, lifelong friendships. Jim’s former Stanford golf team members, his MPCC pals, and the sheer joy of playing with family and friends, continued to enrich his life.

Running was another of Jim’s passions. He ran in the 1976 Boston Marathon in 105 degree heat. He beat half the field just by completing the race! He and his wife ran in six more marathons together, including the first three Big Sur races.

Gratitude was Jim’s daily mantra. That perspective was deepened by surviving a traumatic accident at age 39. Hit by a car while jogging, unconscious for three days, Jim recovered and eventually regained his athletic prowess. Even before his accident, Jim was well aware of his blessings. He always attributed his happiness to family as his core.

Jim was a devoted family man of many passions who will be remembered for his sense of humor, his kindness and his keen mind. He found great joy in the strategic challenge of an intense chess match, hiking the trails of Garland Park, and in his later years, discovering drawing and painting which allowed him to express the vibrant personality beneath his mild demeanor.

He shared an extraordinary life with his beloved wife, Anna, his high school sweetheart. Jim Rheim and Anna Teaff grew up together in Chula Vista, California. They attended the same schools from elementary school through Stanford University. Their bond continued for 61 years of marriage. Jim reveled in the blessing of having family living close by: daughter Rebecca (Becky) with husband Tim Staley, son Joseph (Joe) and wife Amy and their children, Olivia and Ava Rheim, and Sugar, Jim and Anna’s sweet Norwich Terrier.

Anna Rheim wishes to thank the doctors and staff of Community Hospital of The Monterey Peninsula for their expert care of Jim and their kindness to her.

A private Celebration of Life will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in honor of James Rheim to the youth golf organization, First Tee of Monterey County https://firstteemontereycounty.org/waystogive/ or the philanthropy of their choice.