Nellie Lorraine RINE

NELLIE LORRAINE RINE (nee GRAY) APRIL 10, 1930 - MAY 07, 2019 Nellie may have been born in 1930 but her life took off in 1975 when she moved herself, her mother and 3 sons from Springfield IL to the island of Maui in Hawaii. In 1974 Nellie and a friend of hers took a vacation to Hawaii visiting several of the islands. A short time after her return from Hawaii her oldest son Tom was kidding with her about moving to Florida, since they had all taken a 2-week trip there a few months before. Nellie’s reply was “If we’re moving anywhere, we’re moving to Hawaii”. Nobody took this serious until Nellie showed up with 2 airplane tickets so that she and Tom could go and look for a job in Hawaii for Nellie. The jobs were there and it was decided that they would sell most everything except for a piano, a couch and the car. The trip was set. Drive from Springfield IL to Los Angeles. Spend 2 days sightseeing in Los Angeles, then have the car put on a ship and fly off to Hawaii. The adventure was just beginning for everyone. Nellie had also made a decision not to go to Honolulu where the jobs were, but to continue on to Maui, which is where she really wanted to be. It was a huge gamble. It was both scary and exciting for the whole family. This was quite the change in lifestyles from the Midwest to the Hawaiian Islands. It was a challenge at first, but things settled down and everyone started to adjust. Nellie went to work for a prominent attorney, bought a house and truly enjoyed the lifestyle in Hawaii where she made many friends. The two oldest sons joined the U.S. Coast Guard where they both served and retired from after 53 years of service between them. The youngest son returned to Illinois in 1979 and worked as a corrections officer for 25 years. He too is retired from that position. Nellie returned to the mainland in 1992 to be closer to friends and family, since it was getting tougher for the family to visit Hawaii every year. She eventually settled in St. Louis MO where she resided until her death. Nellie lived life at its fullest. She was an inspiration to her sons and proved to them that you can do anything you want to if you just try. Nellie is survived by her three sons. Thomas H. Rine, Claude Jay Rine and William Arthur Rine. Nellie called this morning. She and Amelia Earhart are having breakfast together. Amelia was one of her favorite heroes.

Nellie Lorraine RINE

April 10, 1930 - May 7, 2019