Dear Racers, friends:

I can't thank all of you enough for all the help in Tucson. The Vander Meers, Comstocks, Hendersons, and Youngs, all of you that helped us.

I thank Larry for 4 years of Videos. Pictures that we can look back on over and over.

Divison 6 and 7 for being the best of people. I'm proud to have known you and to have been associated with you.

To my Boys: Tommy Gaynor, Anthony Castillo, Robbie Horsley (Tons of Fun). And John Fisher who kept Don calm at times. I love you all so much. I will miss the fun times we had, but I have the best of memories.

To all of you......Thank you so much.

POS FOREVER!! Love Gerry Rhyne

Don had recently purchased my dads '63 Corvette, and we had become very close due to some very close losses we both endured in Don losing his son Cody, and me losing my dad just a few weeks apart from each other. I can honestly say he became somewhat of a father figure to me after our tragedys. We spoke all the time about racing, but we really talked alot about family. There wasn't a time when he called that he didn't start out asking "hows the family, how's your mom doing", He always wanted to make sure everyone was doing o.k. He was a person that I was privelaged enough to have met. He spent so much time and energy to get that 63 looking so nice, to put his " Rhyned it" look to it. This man not only had the nicest car anywhere but being the caring person he was, he put a tribute to my dad and to his son Cody on the car, and for that I am forever grateful. He always thought of everyone else first and as you can tell by other peoples comments of Don, he was that way with everyone.

During the off season Don and Anthony came over and stayed with us after dropping some motors off, we went fishing the next day and I never laughed so hard with him, he was not only an awsome race car driver but a fisherman too!! He caught about 20 fish while Anthony and I sat there in dis-belief, we had a total of 4 between us. He said I really should get a different kind of fishing pole and bait to use, so would'nt you know it about a week later, what shows up in Spokane for me is a bunch of new "trick" fishing poles, HUGE tackle box and enough bait to last 5 years, he said now go catch some big fish. That in a nutshell is the type of man he was.

Rest In Peace
Todd Hoerner

Dick Shannon, Yakima, WA.

Our friend Scott Taylor hooked up with Don just after that, and only added to the way we thought about him, and the stories of Don's generosity. He truly was an incrediable person who will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.

Sincerely, Ed ,Cynthia, Frankie & Casey Plaizier

For those of you who recognize the name, but may not have known Don, the name POS should help you. The colorful purple and yellow team consisted of Super Comp dragsters, Super Gas roadsters, a Super Stocker, Stocker, Motorcycle and Junior. Don was the team owner/driver/captain and driving force. POS was short for Paint Oriented Specialties, a commercial building painting company he ran in Boring Oregon.

I had been the POS team videographer for four years and have assembled many hours of the teams exploits. I came to know Don, his wife Geri and his many team mates as among the finest people I have ever met. The loss of his son Cody in a street car accident two years ago was something Don never really got over. Now Geri is the one who must bear this unthinkable burden. Denise and my thoughts and prayers go out to Geri and the many, many people who have been touched by this man over the years. There were just so many positive things about Don Rhyne. So many things I for one will carry with me forever. His spirit will live on in so many ways. I am not the only one giving thanks to have known Don Rhyne this day.

I'll miss you buddy. Damn but I will miss you.

Larry Pfister
horsepowerheaven.com

The great thing about Don Rhyne is that he proved nice guys do finish first. He won a lot of races and was ultra-competitive, but still treated everyone he came in contact with like a member of his own family.

Whenever we knew Don and the POS team were coming to Woodburn, we would reserve a pit space for him in the northeast corner of the pits. At one event, we noticed that Don had parked his trucks really close together and wasn't using all of his space. When we asked him about it, he told us that we gave him too much room and that he was going to park another trailer in his space. That was Don: always more concerned about someone else.

Don was the sponsor of the Jr. series at Woodburn, and he worked hard to bring other sponsors on board. At the Don Rhyne Jr. Classic last September, he worked a deal with Les Schwab Tire Centers to pay for the entry fee for more than 70 racers. But whenever we tried to give him recognition, he would shy away. When he called to RSVP for our Jr. Awards Banquet, he said he would come as long as he didn't have to get up in front of everyone and make a speech.

Another time, at an all Jr. Dragster race, the Woodburn Jr. Booster Club presented him with a Woodburn Wally. He graciously accepted it. What we didn't know is that he had talked with a Jr. racer who was undergoing a series of surgeries, and he decided that she was more deserving of the award than he was. We only found out about it because the girl he gave the award to asked for his address to send him a thank-you card.

We will never get over this loss. Don was a great racer, but more importantly, a great man. He was our friend and he always be with us. We'll miss you buddy.

Jonathan Adams, Jim and Lynn Livingston and the crew at Woodburn Dragstrip

Don was cool guy to just know ABOUT....he had that very cool fleet of sportsman race cars, sponsored a huge portion of the junior dragster contingent at Woodburn Dragstrip. The few times I had personal contact with him, he was giving or loaning parts and stuff to other racers. A truely great guy, in the truest sense...Jim

Three days past and I still can't believe it. I met him through business and continued all along to do business but he always treated me like a friend. Don always cared. He always wanted to talk about how things were going with me, and not just business. Don was one of the only people with whom that I talked openly with when I went through a divorce two years ago. Kind of strange that I was able to open up with a client like that but that is just it: Don was a friend. He was always an inspiration and always a source of shade and some good conversation on a hot day in the pits. And dont forget the cold drink,"you know where the drinks are........and there's diet stuff in there for you too", he'd always say remembering that I was diabetic. Always remembering.

It's not gonna be the same anymore......miss ya Don.

Stu Wotypka
Intelligent Development

I was lucky (I do mean lucky) enough to meet Don about 4-5 years ago through a mutual friend, he was so full of passion about all he did, his family,his business and his hobbies, he was the type of person that truly made our world a better place, he was very modest for a man w/ his position in life, I have to tell a story about Don and his passion for people, I had a 66 station wagon that Don had showed interest in once ,I said I wasn`t ready to part w/it, as it turned out a year or so went by and I had decided to sell it, I ran into Don and asked if he`d still be interested, he said he had just bought a wagon and restored it so he really didn`t have the need for it, he said just bring it out and we`ll park it in my shop for a year or two and it will be out of site and you can just store it out here, thats the type of person Don was Very Giving, he was the type of person I`m proud to call a frien,i do however believe he is in a better place, We will miss you Don, God Blees you Geri and Family may the lord bless you;

sincerly, Geof Amos

I have a hard time believing this has happened, I am not a particularly emotional guy, how ever it is not often in this life that we get to meet and be part of some thing as cool as Pos was to me. Being Canadian and being part of that team was always a very special part of my racing in the last 2 years. the thing about Don is how much he did no one ever saw. I was able to buy his dragster as a result of his sponsorship. I was able to race my new roadster in Mission at the national open last year only because Don and Anthony thrashed to put the motor and transmission and plumb the car to his standards while I left my car at his place and took my kids to Disney land after the divisional in Woodburn.

Don did not ask for or accept any thing for all the extra stuff he did for me. That list is long, he was as good a friend as any one could ask for. Quick to praise and always offering positive suggestion and positive criticism.

I will miss him for ever, but I thank god for the opportunity to have known and been touched by him. I know this every light, I cut this year will be for him and ever win stripe will be for him.

We lost one of the good ones, and all we can do now is go on , and if there is a god out there I hope he is looking after him and letting him run 9.90 and 400 light.

Scott Taylor

Bad news these last few weeks in racing, as you know Don was a very big part of not only his own race team but the junior dragsters as well, I don’t know how many kids he helped. We have put a small deal about Don on our home page and have linked that to your site where there will be a fitting tribute to this man.

It’s tough to lose someone who played such a part in the sport we love but to lose a friend as you have is hard to take, I never met Don but his presence was felt everywhere and will continue to do so.

George & Karen Adams
www.nwdragracing.com

Don touched people at all levels of life. I was not a personal friend, and have only crewed a little for my friends at Woodburn Dragstrip. But at any time I had the pleasure of being in the POS team's company, I was treated as well as if I were a family friend. Anyone who met Don or his family are truely saddened as I am.

Sincerely, Jim Ullman

Reflections by Jerry Dittbenner:

What Don Rhyne's Name Means To Me...

When I recall 'Don Rhyne' I think 'Mr. Generosity' and I believe that most
who have known Don for a long time would agree. I would like to share with his
family and friends my impression of Don's nature regarding generosity to a
stranger. The 'œstranger' is me and I feel compelled to share my thoughts with
you.

First, a little background. I was born and raised in Hood River, Oregon. I
worked for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the San Francisco Bay Area
for 40 years. Upon retirement, my wife, Judy, and I decided we wanted out of
the California rat race. I wanted to return to Oregon and we decided upon
Sandy. I have always been a hands-on type of person and in 2001, I took on the task
of building most of our retirement home myself. During construction, I
visited Don Rhyne Painting and inquired about the finishing of our many oak doors
including two glass-etched doors. Following the delivery of all the doors, I
noticed some overspray on the two etched ones so I called the shop to find out
what they would recommend to remove it. Don answered the telephone that day and
responded "Don't touch those doors -- it is our responsibility to remove the
overspray." He then told me that when I was ready, to give him a call and he
would come out. This was the first time that I had ever spoken to Don.

It was about a year later when I decided to contact him about the removal of
the overspray on the glass. I called and he said that since he was going to be
in our area soon he would stop by our place. That was to be my first
encounter with the most generous man I have ever met.

When Don arrived, I showed him the overspray on the glass doors and also what
I had accomplished in the building of our home. In the year's time, we had
completed the building of the interior cabinets, drawers, and drawer fronts and
had just received delivery of several hundred doors and cabinet fronts. They
were all stacked on the floor of our dining area. Don was very complimentary
about my work.

At one point he turned to me and said "When I send Craig to pick up the
glass doors, you should also load all of those cabinet door fronts, drawers,
shelves and pullouts into the truck. (There were several hundred!) Then, in a few
days, come down to the shop and use our facilities to finish them." He told me
if I would do all the prep work, staining, and help in the spray booth, that
it would save me a lot of money and time (which was very true.) I was
flabbergasted! Frankly, I didn't know what to say. I think he sensed that I was
struggling about accepting his generous offer for he said again, "I've told you
what I believe you should do." It was then that I agreed to accept his charitable
plan. After our business was settled, we then talked for more than an hour
about our backgrounds, our goals in life, and our families. It was then that he
told me about his great sadness in recently losing their son, Cody. A true
bonding took place that day and a real friendship began developing. We both
possessed Type A personalities, and a shared a need to strive for perfection. I'm
assuming that this along with our mutual love for family is what made our
relationship click.

After Don left, I told Judy about what had transpired and of Don's offer
about the use of his shop in the finishing of the doors. We both felt strongly
about showing him our appreciation. I called a few days later and invited he and
his wife to consider being our guests at our condo in Maui. He agreed and said
that sounded great to him for he had not been in Hawaii since being in the
service. When I went to the shop, Don introduced me to John Kreig and told me
that the Kriegs would be going with them to Maui. I then met Don Smith who was
to 'mother' me through my finishing endeavor. Don Rhyne and I had lunch
together that day and afterwards he took me to his home. He showed me his very
colorful racing cars which were all done to the Don Rhyne standard of perfection.
I had never been that close to racing vehicles in my life. It was such an
exhilarating experience to see the outstanding standard of quality and perfection
that Don possessed. Not only were his racing vehicles done to perfection but
his shop was cleaner then most restaurants. He invited me into his home where
he introduced me to the family dog and showed me the video when he had won a
championship race. I enjoyed myself immensely that day.

It was in an incident that occurred later that I learned, personally, of
Don's standards. He wanted me to re-sand and finish the inside of my drawers that
I was working on at the shop. (Something I did not feel needed to be done.) So
one day when he was not around, I loaded them up and brought them home. I
heard about that from Don the very next day when I returned to the shop. He told
me to bring them back and work on them some more! I finally finished all the
cabinets, etc. with the outstanding help of Don Smith and Tomas.

Several months had gone by and it was about time for the Rhynes and the
Kreigs to go to Hawaii. I later learned that Don had planned many different trips
for his friends and employees in this way: He made it sound as though he was
going but then would tell an employee they needed to go in his place, as he had
a conflict. As far as the Maui trip, he told me that he needed to get ready
for the next racing season and he would have another employee go in his place.
Don did promise me that when Judy and I returned from Maui, we would all get
together at our place for dinner and have 'Show and Tell.' Fate intervened...

Regrettably, it was after returning from Maui in May that we learned of Don's
untimely death. We were deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy. He was not
only the most outstanding perfectionist that I have ever met, but also set a
very high standard of personal generosity. From what I have been told, my story
is not that different from the way he lived his life every day.

Don, you will always be remembered in our home. As we walk throughout, there
is a special remembrance of you and your benevolence. My only wish is that I
had known you longer. Your spirit will always be with us. Thanks for the
memories and sharing some of your life with us. May you be at peace.

Jerry and Judy Dittbenner