Bunting, Rhinehart 'Rhiney' Dirks

Rhinehart “Rhiney” Dirks Bunting, 90, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend, passed away 23 Oct. 2009, at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, 26 Oct. 2009, at Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, rural Monticello. Pastor Dennis Johnson of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marion, will officiate. Friends may call from 2 until 6 p.m. Sunday at Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa.

Thoughts, memories and condolences may be left at www.goettschonline.com

Memorials may sent to Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marion, or to Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, Monticello.

Rhiney is survived by his loving wife, Barbara; and his children and their families, Diane (Duane) Keys, McKinney, Texas, Darlene (Chip) Minx, Kansas City, Mo., David (Ann), Cedar Rapids, Dale (Terri), West Des Moines, Dean (Kim), Wichita, Kan., Darrell (Kathy), Nevada, Iowa, and Dorothy (Brian) Montgomery, Louisville, Colo.; 18 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and his many nieces and nephews.

Rhinehart Dirks Bunting was born 11 June 1919, in Scotch Grove, the son of Gerd Dirks Bunting and Antke Marie Wolken Bunting. He was baptized and confirmed at Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, where he attended regularly for more than 60 years and served on its church council. He attended school at Wayne Center No. 4.

PFC Rhinehart D. Bunting served as a Browning Automatic rifleman in World War II with the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion, 133rd Infantry, Company E in Ireland, North Africa, and Italy and was wounded north of Rome. He received the Purple Heart and numerous service awards and commendations. He had been a member of the Arthur McCullough American Legion Post 13, Anamosa, for more than 50 years and was a lifelong member of the Disabled American Veterans. He attended his first 34th Division reunion in Minneapolis and bivouacked with his band of brothers at his Iowa Company E reunion, held annually for more than 50 years in Webster City, Iowa. The war story of Rhiney and his fellow 34th Red Bull Infantry Division soldiers was chronicled in the book, Dogfaces Who Smiled Through Tears, by comrade Homer R. Ankrum.

While recovering from his injuries stateside in Springfield, Mo., at O'Reilly General Hospital, he attended a holiday dance and met his wife, Barbara Ann Ganther. They were married Aug. 5, 1945, at Grace Methodist Church, Springfield. He, Barbara, and their children lived in Anamosa, farmed south of Viola, and the couple retired to Marion in 1987. He worked as a cement finisher with Local 561, Cement Finishers and Plasterers, Cedar Rapids, for more than 40 years.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his 10 brothers, Ben, Ed, Harm, Gerd, Martin, John, Fred, Enno, Elve and LaVerne.

Rhiney's was a life well lived, filled with God‘s blessings. His loving lessons of family first, hard work, and living by The Golden Rule will become Rhiney's most lasting legacy.

Our special thanks to the staff at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Don Tyne of Linn County Veterans Affairs, and to the staffs of ManorCare, St. Luke's Hospital and St. Luke's Hospice for their compassionate and thoughtful care of Rhiney and his family.