Rhea Felknor

Audley Rhea (“Ray”) Felknor, Jr., 92, passed away Saturday, August 13th at the Veteran’s Memorial Home in Paramus, NJ, of natural causes related to heart disease.

Education interrupted by war

Rhea was born September 26, 1923 in Oak Park, Illinois, to Audley Rhea Felknor and Harriet Lester Felknor. After graduating as the valedictorian of Menominee High School, Wisconsin, in 1941, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, joining the ROTC. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. His B-17 flight training completed in February of 1945, but did not get shipped overseas as the war in Europe was winding down at that point.

Rhea then transferred to California to undergo B-29 training. He met Laurie Schumacher at the airbase in San Bernardino, CA early in 1946 and the two of them were married in July of that year.

Harsh words from the President

After his air corps service, Rhea finished his bachelor degree at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. In 1947, as a newspaper reporter for the Spokesman Review, he tracked down Harry S. Truman at a Spokane campaign stop by breaking off from the reporter pack. But the Spokesman Review’s opinion page had not been kind to Truman, who groused at Rhea, “Young man, you work for the worst newspaper in the world.” Rhea had this quote printed on his business cards.

Inquiry, faith, and action

Rhea had converted to Catholicism during the war, and his interests led him and Laurie to intellectual pursuits back in the Midwest. He curtailed graduate study of philosophy at St. Louis University in favor of helping to start an archdiocesan newpaper. Under the direction of Cardinal Ritter, a champion of Vatican II and desegregation of Catholic schools, Rhea was the first managing editor of the St. Louis Review, covering among other stories the work towards Vatican II reform. When churches across the country participated in the final march in Selma, Alabama in 1965, Rhea was one of the marchers in the contingent from the St. Louis Review. “It was an exciting time to be a Catholic,” recalled Rhea.After Ritter’s death, Rhea and his family (now numbering 4, including sons Peter and Christopher) moved to the Chicago area where he became the managing editor of U.S Catholic magazine.

Later career, music, and family

In the 1970's Rhea and family moved to New Jersey,where for many years he worked in medical publishing. He served as the managing editor of RN Magazine, writer for various medical magazines, and script writer for reports on doctors’ research. Rhea continued well into his 80's as a free-lance medical writer, but his last tax return lists his occupation as “musician,” since he had parlayed his life-long love of music and piano skills into work as a church organist and retirement home sing-along pianist. He would tell his wife Laurie that he was going off to play the piano for the “old people,” many of whom were younger than he was.

Rhea was also an avid rose-grower, winning awards and serving as President of the Garden State Rose Club. He and Laurie balanced work with cherished trips abroad. They lived independently until Laurie’s death in 2013, thanks to Rhea’s loving care of his wife following a series of strokes.In 2014 Rhea became a full-time resident of the Veteran’s Memorial Home in Paramus, NJ, which he referred to as his “private club.” He passed away quietly in his sleep the morning of Saturday, August 13th.

Rhea is survived by his son Peter, Peter’s wife Jo-Ann, and their children Michael and Sydney;and by his son Christopher, Christopher’s wife Jeanne, and their children Andrew and Louisa.

Visiting hours are Thursday, Aug. 18th 2-4pm and 7-9pm, Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Rd., Westwood, NJ 07675.

A funeral Mass will be said on Friday, Aug 19th at 10:30am, St. Andrew's Church, 120 Washington Ave.,Westwood, NJ 07675. Interment will be immediately following.

Arrangements under the direction of Becker Funeral Home, Westwood, NJ.