News
William G. Rhines
1954-2026
William G. Rhines Jr., 72, of Wells, Maine passed away peacefully after a period of declining health. Bill was born on January 22, 1954 in Plainfield, New Jersey to Joanne Rhines and William G. Rhines, Sr. His family moved to Weston, Connecticut in 1964. Bill graduated from Weston High School in 1972 and went on to study music at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. He played trombone for years in both high school and the Gettysburg College marching band. Bill continued his education at the University of New Hampshire in Durham studying both physics and engineering.
Bill married Linda (Frick) on January 23, 1988 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk Maine and they built a home together in Wells. Bill and Linda were very active in all aspects of parish life at St. David’s. Over the years he served in just about every capacity a layperson could: Choir Director, Member of the Vestry, Warden (8 years), Worship, Altar Guild and especially as Verger and later Verger Emeritus. Bill loved all aspects of the liturgy of the Church and was a member of the Vergers Guild of the Episcopal Church from 2008 until his passing. He loved to share his wisdom, especially with the young people he trained to serve as acolytes and chalice bearers. Bill bought a deep knowledge of and thoughtfulness about the traditions at St. David’s and the wider Church. Bill and Linda were Co-Chairs of the Maine National Cathedral Association for over ten years and during that time Bill served on the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral Association in Washington DC.
Bill was also known as a renaissance man. In 1988, he created his own business restoring antiques and decorative arts for antique dealer and interior designers from Maine to New York. He restored 18th century mahogany furniture for the annual Armory Christmas Show in New York City. He also created specially designed mirrors for fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The mirrors were made in Bill’s workshop in Wells Maine and shipped to Paris, France for a runway show. His business thrived until 2012 when he retired.
After his retirement, Bill and Linda became interested in functional movement exercise. He helped to establish crossfit-style gyms In Kennebunk (KGB), Sanford (Crossfit 207), Biddeford (Hack and LivFit) and Wells (CrossOver Fitness). He loved making wooden boxes for athletes to use for box jumps and helped with the installation of pull up racks, mat flooring for weight lifting and helped repair a variety of gym equipment. He will be sorely missed by all of his family of gym friends.
Bill leaves his wife, Linda, of 39 years, and siblings Rosemary Rhines Berwald (Steve), Rebecca Rhines Huckabay, Annamarie Rhines Corrales (Fernando), Mark Rhines (Liz), eleven nieces and nephews and nine great nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and younger brother, Peter (Holly).
A memorial service is planned for 11:00AM on October 31, 2026, at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 138 York Street, Kennebunk, Maine. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Memorial Fund of St. David’s Episcopal Church.