Chris R. Rehmann, 82, of Hammonton passed away gracefully at home on Friday February 24, 2023. Gracefully, because that’s the way he did everything. A lifelong resident of Hammonton, Chris was a standout at HHS in baseball, basketball, football and band, graduating in 1958. His crowning achievement there, however, was meeting his wife Loretta of 58 years. He went on to graduate from the Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University) with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering as a member and later a commissioned officer of the U.S. Public Health Service. While at Drexel, Chris was coaxed into playing lacrosse when the team needed more players and was also a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He still managed to graduate despite both.
Chris served at the National Center for Air Pollution Control in Cincinnati Ohio and then Durham North Carolina before returning to Hammonton in 1968 to join his father in his engineering and surveying business, now Adams, Rehmann and Heggan or ARH Associates.
He grew the company with his partners from a two-car garage on Grape Street in Hammonton to a thriving, regional company built upon his values of service, community and family. Chris was a consummate professional who was sought out for that professionalism, as well as for his knowledge and sincere commitment to finding the best solution for each client. Under his leadership, over four hundred employees were provided the opportunity to be a part of the ARH family, including his son Richard who took the reins as Chris segued into partial retirement and a routine that still included regular visits to the office where he was treated like the cherished patriarch he was.
Despite a full schedule owning his own consulting firm and attending more municipal meetings than one person should ever have to, Chris was also active in the Presbyterian Church, serving as an elder and member of choir for over 50 years, and was a vital member of the American Orchid Society. The purchase of a single plant in Hawaii led to Chris becoming an accredited AOS judge, and as a member and chair of the Mid Atlantic Judging Center he went on to serve as vice president and then president of the AOS. This led to decades of travel both within the United States and across the world, including several trips to Asia and South America. At home he was a successful grower in his own right, with many plants awarded over the years including the Loretta. But for Chris, the AOS most importantly gave him the opportunity to cultivate friendships and relationships with wonderful people across the globe.
When he found free time Chris also enjoyed years of skiing and golf, and a fascination with Civil War history, reading original firsthand accounts of the war in addition to more conventional texts. He loved piping classical music through his greenhouse as he repotted and picked mealy bugs on sunny Saturday mornings. But most of all, he loved his wife and his family. For over 50 years Chris and Loretta were two halves of a wonderful whole, a love reflected in their two sons and their families.
He is predeceased by his parents, Earl J. and Marion (Jones) Rehmann. In addition to his beloved wife, Loretta (nee Gazzara); Chris is survived by his sons, Chris (Rachel Duncan) and Richard (Linda); his brother, Earl J. Rehmann (Felicia) and his four treasured grandchildren, Emily, Jessica, Erin and Jack. After battling cancer on several fronts for over 20 years, a fact that was intentionally relegated to the end of this obituary rather than the beginning, Chris achieved his goal of seeing all four of his grandchildren graduate from university.
Relatives and friends were invited to attend his visitation Wednesday, March 1, 2023 from 6 p.m. -9 p.m. at the Marinella Funeral Home 102 N. Third St. Hammonton, N.J. 08037 and Thursday from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. at the Hammonton Presbyterian Church 326 Bellevue Ave. Hammonton, N.J. 08037. Funeral services will follow at the church at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Chris’s name to either the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton 326 Bellevue Ave. Hammonton, N.J. 08037, the Hammonton Cancer Foundation PO Box 1066 Hammonton, N.J. 08037, the HRC/Hammonton Heart & Soul at PO Box 1147, Hammonton, N.J. 08037, or the charity of your choice. To share a condolence, please visit marinellafuneralhome.com
Arrangements made by Marinella Funeral Home Inc.