Thomas J. Rinehart

Thomas J. Rinehart, 79, of Southington, passed away on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at the HOCC at New Britain. He had been the loving husband of the late Sandra M. (Pekunka) Rinehart for 51 years.

Thomas was born on August 19, 1946 in Garden City, NY to the late Jack and Arlene (Rice) Rinehart. He graduated from Greenport High School, Class of 1965 and went on to earn a degree from Paul Smith’s College in 1967. Tom proudly served his country in the U.S. Army for 15 months in Vietnam and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his distinguished service.

On September 19, 1971, Tom married Sandra Pekunka in Greenport, New York and they had two sons, John and Brian. Tom worked as the District Manager for A.R.A. Food Service for 38 years and then took a position as Corporate Vice- President at Fleet Bank, retiring after 10 years of service. He enjoyed fishing and playing golf and was very active in town sports, especially baseball and football, while his sons were growing up.

Tom is survived by his son, Brian Rinehart and his wife Amy Clark of Southington. In addition to his wife Sandy, he was predeceased by his son, John T. Rinehart and his sister, Marianne Biggs.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom’s memory may be made to Southington North Baseball, PO Box 125, Southington, CT 06489.

A memorial service with military honors will be celebrated at 12 noon on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at the Plantsville Funeral Home, 975 S. Main St., Plantsville. Calling hours will be held prior to the service from 11 a.m. - 12 noon at the funeral home. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.