Stanley J. Rines

Freedom, NH

Stanley Joseph Rines, 91, of Freedom, NH passed away on December 13, 2018 after a period of declining health. 

Stan was born June 29, 1927 in Gorham, New Hampshire, the oldest child of six born of Carleton E. and Irvett Neal Rines.   As a child who was raised during the depression, Stan’s family moved around New Hampshire and Maine trying to make ends meet.  In spite of attending numerous different schools, Stan was a bright student and ultimately completed his High School Education at Berwick Academy in Berwick, Maine.  Stan was the Valedictorian of the class of 1945 and was awarded the prestigious Cogswell Medal which accompanied a full scholarship for college, but his passion for automotive work caused him to follow a different path. 

In the fall of 1948, Stan asked his father if he could convert an old barn with a dirt floor on his parent’s property in Ossipee Valley into a garage.  With $1,200 he had saved from his three years of work after high school he installed a concrete floor and several partitions during nights after work and weekends through the fall of 1948 and early winter of 1949.   In February of 1949, Stan opened up his dream, Rines Garage.  His knowledge and aptitude for diagnosing and repairing vehicles as well as his welding ability was quickly recognized and soon he had more work than he could handle alone.  So, in the summer of 1949 his father quit his job with New England Box, matched Stan’s $1,200 investment and together they began building the business.  The business continued to grow to the point where Stan and his father purchased a wood lot so that they could cut and mill the logs into lumber for an addition to the garage which added a parts room and an office.  In 1953 Stan became an International Harvester truck dealer.  His reputation as a fair, honest and knowledable dealer resulted in more business.  As a result, more building additions came along in 1964, 1967, and 1973.  Stan’s father was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1954 and then lung cancer in 1960 which he succumbed to in February of 1961.  In 1967 Stan acquired the Chrysler-Plymouth car dealership along with another business partner, E. Morton Leavitt.  That partnership ended amicably several years later with the two remaining steadfast friends until his Stan’s death.   Stan sold the business to DiPrizio GMC on May 1, 1985.

In addition to running his business, Stan believed in contributing to the community.  He was a member of Rotary, coached little league baseball, served on the Ossipee Budget Committee, served as Ossipee’s representative to the Governor Wentworth School Board for six years, was a trustee of Huggins Hospital, was a trustee of White Mountain National Bank when it was purchased by Citizen’s Bank, and was a past Chairman of the Carroll County Republican Committee.

Other interests included sports, especially baseball, golf, boxing, fishing, fly tying, automotive projects, travelling and collecting coins.

At the same time Stan was starting a business, Stan met the love of his life, Marilyn Davis, at the Sandwich Fair.  The two were married in October of 1950 and soon they began a family.  Stan and Marilyn had three children, Jerildine, Kristine and James.  Marilyn passed away in December of 1997 from ovarian cancer.  In November 1998, Stan married Helen Pratt who he and Marilyn had known from their time wintering in Florida and Stan gained a second family who loved him like the father they had lost and Stan loved them as well.   Helen predeceased Stan in 2009, but he still maintained close contact with his second family until his death.

Although Stan was proud of his business accomplishments, he was most proud of his family and never passed up an opportunity to boast about their accomplishments.  Stan leaves behind his two daughters Jerildine Rines and Kristine Rines, both living in Tamworth, New Hampshire, a son James and his wife Brooke in Ossipee, New Hampshire, as well as his grandchildren Joseph Chellman, his wife Kate Bergeron and their two children Alexis and Oscar; Isaac Chellman and his partner Stephanie Serson; Amara Rines; Victoria Armstrong and her husband Joshua; and Micaela Rines and her partner Bobby Perry.  He also leaves behind his Michigan family, Sharon and Bob Haldane and their family; Diana and Bob Repp and their family; Vicki and Chuck Knowlton and their family; Dale Pratt and his family and  Wayne Pratt and his family.  He also leaves a brother Mark Rines and his wife Shirley of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire; a sister Dorothy Hill and her husband Merton of East Woodstock, Connecticut; a brother Bruce and his wife Marion of Ossipee, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.  Stan was predeceased by his mother, Irvett Neal Rines, an infant brother Clifford and a brother Carl.

The family extends a warm and heartfelt thank you to Bonnie Pennell and the wonderful team of caregivers she assembled who made it possible for Stan to remain in his home in Freedom for the last four years of his life.  Their care and attention to his comfort and well being is something that Stan and the family appreciated more than words can adequately express.  Without them, Stan would not have been able to remain at home as he wished.  We also thank the Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice who also contributed to his care and comfort in his final months. 

A funeral service will be held in Freedom, New Hampshire at the First Christian Church of Freedom on Saturday December 22, 2018 at 2:00 PM.  At Stan’s request, there will be no visiting hours.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice.

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