Minnie Lois (Rhinesmith) Koman was
born to Orlin and Jennie Jane Rhinesmith on March 8th, 1944 in Ringwood, NJ,
and was known throughout her life by her middle name, Lois. The youngest of ten, Lois had a happy youth
spent playing with her siblings, riding horses back from the field on her
grandfather’s farm, and reading books, particularly ones about horses. As a
teen she spent the time she wasn’t in school raising her beloved collie,
Lassie, and babysitting nieces and nephews.
A few years after high school, Lois married David Koman of Patterson,
NJ. After moving to Florida, Lois and
David had two daughters, Orlinda and Robin.
Lois was a fiercely protective mother who always encouraged her
daughters to be independent, and to pursue their education. Lois was also a loving and devoted
grandmother to her three grandchildren:
Alicia, John, and Kailey, and to her great grandson, Samuel, who brought
immense joy to the last few years of her life.
When asked what she was proudest of, Lois always spoke of her children
and grandchildren. Lois died on July
2nd, 2019, at the age of 75, of complications of Alzheimer’s. She is survived by her husband of fifty
years, David Koman, her daughters Orlinda Linkins and Robin Koman, and their
spouses, Thomas Linkins and Robin Thompson, her grandchildren Alicia, John,
Kailey, and Alicia’s partner Rob Rogers, as
well as her great grandson, Samuel. She is also survived by her siblings,
Margie Hearle, Susan Hearle, Art Rhinesmith, and Orlin Rhinesmith Jr., as well
as many nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved very much. In lieu of
flowers, please make donations in Lois’s name to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of
America: https://alzfdn.org/support-us/donate/
