On January 19, 1930, Richard LeRoy Rentfrow was born in Highland Park, Michigan. He passed away on November 14, 2018. One of six children, and the son of working-class parents—a father who was a machinist and a mother who was an office worker—Richard grew up knowing that whatever he wanted in this life, he would need to earn with his own two hands. While other children in his day skipped school to sneak into the movies, Richard had his older sister write absent notes so that he could skip school to work and earn money for the family.
After school, he joined the Army to “learn a trade.” Serving honorably during the Korean War, he repaired radar equipment in the most remote areas of Alaska, preventing attacks on US soil from the north. After the war, his knowledge of electronics earned him a position with IBM, which led to a move to Rochester, Minnesota. Following the time-honored practice of paying dues and rising through the ranks, Richard spent over three decades at IBM, retiring as part of New Product Development. It was in Rochester where he and his wife Marcia raised three sons and a daughter.
Raised in an era when you didn’t hire someone to do something that you could do yourself, Richard could repair any machine or fix anything around the house. In fact, when it was time for the family to get a new TV, he opted to build a full-sized color television himself from an electronics kit. An expert woodworker, Richard’s shop took over the entire garage in their home in Rochester, and later in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he and Marcia retired. Handmade oak tables, maple desks, pine lamps, and mahogany grandfather clocks adorned their home, and were common gifts to family and friends. In fact, when he designed and built a six-foot-tall clock modeled after the character, Cogsworth, in Beauty and the Beast, the result was such a hit with his children that he built four more identical clocks (so they wouldn’t have to fight over who would be left the clock in the will). The smell of cut wood, varnish, and the crunch of sawdust underfoot meant that something exciting was soon to be revealed. With his signature methodical pace, “soon” was relative to the size and complexity of the project. (He was known to frustrate his family by insisting on reading an instruction manual from cover to cover before even plugging in a DVD player.)
Mr. Rentfrow was eager to serve his community, but avoided the limelight. His children were active in scouting and the YMCA, and he volunteered hundreds of hours to both organizations. He opened his home to visitors from other countries, whether through IBM or the Y’s Men’s Club, ensuring that his children would grow up knowing there was a world beyond their own. And, though formal recognition for his efforts was rare, the importance of his contributions was always appreciated. No matter how busy his work, not one of his children’s concerts, tournaments, ceremonies, or recitals would happen without him sitting by his wife in the audience.
Richard showed his devotion to family, not through elaborate gifts or fancy celebrations, but through everyday actions; going to work every day, sitting down for dinner with the family every evening, listening to how his wife and children spent their day, and being there to say goodnight. Dinner didn’t start without Dad saying, “Okay, let’s say Grace,” and no meal was complete unless he relayed a joke he heard at work. Every summer, the family was loaded into a station wagon to visit relatives or explore one of the states on a map of the United States hung on the basement wall. And, no matter what, with Mom as navigator, Dad always drove; sometimes for thirteen hours straight. For Richard, family responsibilities came before personal comfort.
If one had to choose a single quality that best described Richard, it would be that, when faced with a decision, his first thought was to do the right thing to do. One day our family was picnicking at a local park, and we saw three young boys throwing rocks at some geese. While some people would turn a blind eye, thinking, “They aren’t my children,” our father called out with a stern, “Boys, that’s enough!” The boys froze, then silently walked away. During another family trip, he noticed that the American flag was flying outside a military building. Richard noticed that it was after sunset, past time for the flag to be lowered. Taking things into his own hands, he untied the rope and began lowering the flag. When a young private ran from the building, they folded the flag, and the private left with an apology to Richard for not attending to flag protocol. These acts, and the myriad like them throughout his life, were Richard’s way of acting with respect and dignity, no matter how others around him chose to behave.
Richard will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 61 years, Marcia; sons Richard and his wife Kristi, Stephen and his wife Kanitta, Michael and his wife Liz, daughter Ann, and grandchildren Michael, Kelly, and Ondine.
More than anything, Richard LeRoy Rentfrow was a steady, reliable presence; a silent compass for how a good life should be lived.
Friends and loved ones are invited to celebrate Richard’s life and share memories on Saturday, November 17, 2018 from 4 pm - 6 pm Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Avenue, concluding with Military Honors at 6 pm.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, please consider making a donation in Richard’s honor to a charitable organization important to you or to Transitions LifeCare.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18