Arvil Rhinehart

Arvil Lee Rhinehart, deeply loved Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa Griz, passed away on July 28, 2026 in Las Vegas, NV surrounded by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Arvil was born May 22, 1946 in Kenilworth, UT to Ernest and Marie Rhinehart. He attended Carbon High School and graduated in 1964. On July 26, 1965 he eloped with his high school sweetheart, Sally Vaye (Winn) Rhinehart, in Las Vegas and settled in Indian Springs, NV where he worked at the Nevada Test Site. He was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 6, 1969 and shortly after he and Sally were sealed for time and all eternity in the St. George Temple on March 27, 1971.

In 1975, Arvil and Sally returned to their Southern Utah roots to raise their two small children, Lee and Karri, in Price where he worked with the National Mine Service. Here, they welcomed their third child, Wade, to the family. A new job with Southern Fuel and Coal as a purchasing agent took them to Aurora, UT in 1976 where the family grew by one more with the birth of their son Jason. 1983 took them back to Las Vegas, NV, where Arvil resumed his career at the Nevada Test Site with Sandia National Laboratories as a nuclear hazardous material shipping and handling agent. There they completed their family with Lynsey, who lovingly spent the rest of her life on the receiving end of Arvil tenderly singing her the song, “Kitty in a Basket”.

With their three youngest children, Arvil and Sally relocated to New Mexico in 1993, where Arvil retired from Sandia National Laboratories. Professionally, he was known for his great attention to detail and his networking abilities with complete strangers throughout the country to solve complex problems. National security often prevented him from sharing many of the details of his professional career with his family. Although he wasn’t always allowed to vocalize it, the intense focus and stress from his work duties that lined his face upon returning home each day said it all – and we admired those nerves of steel.

Arvil was known for his love of sports, but BYU athletics trumped them all. He would watch any BYU game with a very “narrow” focus on football, basketball, soccer …. volleyball, track and field, softball …. baseball, rugby, and underwater basketweaving. However, his love of sports wasn’t just confined to the television. He spent far more hours than we can count coaching his children’s teams, bragging about his “alleged” athletic achievements, golfing with his son Lee, and driving across the entire Southwest attending family sporting competitions with Sally.

Arvil was a true Patriot and lover of the United States of America and the freedoms it provides. Arvil’s love of country prompted him to volunteer for the Vietnam War, but he was medically disallowed from service. As any loving parent would, he had concerns about the physical danger of having two of his sons, Wade and Jason, serving in the United States Army. However, due to his deep respect and love of the U.S. military, he was the biggest public advocate for their service. He held in sacred regard his Constitutional rights and his civic duties. In his later years, when mobility was a struggle, Arvil made sure he was escorted to his local polling station and allowed his daughter, Karri, to physically assist in checking the boxes on his ballot.

Arvil was truly a mountain man. In New Mexico, he built his own archery range on his property in the mountains. Throughout his life, he would spend hours designing ways to bring the pre 1840s to life for his rendezvous club. He built his own Tee Pee and lean-to, made his own rifles, muzzleloaders, knives, tomahawks, and all the family buckskins. Through his rendezvous club, he earned the name Ol’ Griz. Those that knew him agreed: Griz was born in the wrong era.

In 2008, Arvil and Sally retired to the Rhinehart Cabin in Duck Creek, UT. He could often be found hunting, fishing, ice fishing, shooting his bow, drinking Pepsi, taking the grandkids canoeing, and binge-watching Robert Redford in the move Jeremiah Johnson. They lived there until 2020 when health issues brought them to live with their eldest daughter Karri and her husband Terrol, as they cared for him in his last years.

He is survived by his wife, Sally Vaye Winn Rhinehart, and has a legacy spanning four generations:

• Arvil Lee Rhinehart Jr. and his children, LaReesa and her husband Josh (with their children Riley, Deagan, and Greyson), Brice, Tori, and Skyler.

• Karri Winn Payne and her husband, Terrol, with their children Tyler, Kyra and her husband, Garett (with their children Elliot, Essie, Ruby, Kaladin, and Willow), Kaden and his wife, Micheala.

• Wade William Rhinehart and his children Kyle and his wife, Makelle (with their daughter Elizabeth) Kolby, Tristan, Savannah, Nicholas, Rebecca, Katie, Jayson, and Laurie.

• Jason Richard Rhinehart and his wife, Natasha, with their daughters Alana and Nikelle.

• Lynsey Jan Reed and her husband, Brian, with their sons Tarren, Torsten, and Talon.

He was preceded in death by his parents Ernest Rhinehart and Marie Newsom Rhinehart and siblings Bill, Laura, Ernie, Jimmy, Clyde, and Jeanette. He is survived by his brother Scott and sister Susan.

The Arvil L. Rhinehart Memorial Service
August 8, 2026

Cedar Valley Funeral and Cremation
2086 N Main St
Cedar City, UT 84721

Viewing: 10:00am
Funeral: 11:00am

Graveside Service to immediately follow in Alton (approx. I hour drive)
Alton Cemetery
Corner of S 200 W St & West Alton Cemetery Road
Alton, Utah 84710