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----- Original Message -----
From: "Martha Neff"
To:
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 9:52 PM
Subject: Christopher Rhinehart

I am proud to say that Christopher Rhinehart was my big brother.

Christopher enjoyed cars from an early age. I believe it all began with Matchbox cars, and continued with every car our grandparents bought. His interest peaked when he bought our Great-Uncle's 1969 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham. Christopher put in a great deal of time fixing it with Bondo, and repainting. I remember time spent together- when he talked me into helping sand the Bondo.

The Pontiac Bonneville was the first car I drove. My brother pulled over on the highway one day and to my surprise, told me it was my turn to drive. I didn't even have my driver's permit. I knew he loved that car, and yet, years later he told me that he didn't think twice about letting me drive it- and often took me out to drive.

Over the years, he had acquired many vehicles. He took great pleasure in restoring vehicles- including a 1974 Airstream Excella 500. As one of his friends stated, Christopher was like a kid on Christmas morning when he heard his 1976 Chysler New Yorker Brougham St. Regis Coupe was going to be photographed for the August 2006 Collectible Automobile magazine. He was so proud of his car being in the magazine and yet, upon getting the magazine, he was irritated that such a gorgeous land yacht would only get a 1 ½" x 3" and a 1 ¾" x 1 ¼" photo! Somehow it just didn't seem right.

One conversation I had with him that still makes me laugh is when he elaborated about how small parking spaces have become over the years and how difficult it was to find suitable parking for his Chysler New Yorker Brougham St. Regis Coupe. He told me that parking on the street would require taking up two spaces, but did that mean he'd have to put change in both meters? And if he chose to park on a side street (where the parking is at an angle), the back-end of the car would be sticking way out!

I know Christopher would have enjoyed the comments made about his 1975 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron by some teenagers as they stopped to look at it- "Check out THAT car!" "Can you imagine driving that car?" "What a cool car!" It's nice to know that the tradition and appreciation of land yachts continue with the youth of today.

Another of Christopher's favorite cars was the Ford Thunderbird. I have a Thunderbird ad that shows a blurred background with a gentleman driving. It reminds me of Christopher, and what he'd be doing right about now. He enjoyed talking about his cars, working on them, and driving them. He would probably tell his friends to enjoy their cars and the people around them.

Christopher was an incredible person. He was a great conversationalist, well-versed and intelligent. He was a caring and kind man. He was a talented architect with great vision. He was a person who took interest in the people around him and was a friend to many.

From the time I was born, throughout our childhood and into adulthood, Christopher was the best big brother I could have been blessed with. My brother's passing has left an empty place that can never be filled. Thank you to all of Christopher's friends for their kind wishes of sympathy. Take care of your bodies as well as you take care of your cars, and enjoy your land yachts to the fullest!

Best wishes to all,

Martha Neff