Dr. Frank Edward Rinaldo Jr.

Dr Frank Edward Rinaldo, Jr, age 68, died very unexpectedly at his home on December 2, 2023. He was born in Thierville, France on March 16. 1955 to the late Frank E Rinaldo, Sr. and Anne Pikul Rinaldo. His father was a sergeant in the US Army and he was born in a hospital close to the army base. Frank acquired the life-long nickname “Pierre” because, when other base members greeted the expectant mother, they would ask how “little Pierre” was doing. 

 

Frank Jr. and his parents returned to the United States six months after his birth. His father served twenty years in the army, so the family lived in several places including Korea, Alaska, and Ft. Benning, GA. After his father retired from the army, the family settled in Winter Park, FL where Frank worked at the newly built Disney World.

 

After high school graduation, Frank attended the University of Florida where he received a degree in Chemistry. He worked various jobs following his graduation including as a firefighter/paramedic for the city of Orlando. He attended PA school at Emory University in Atlanta and then practiced in Jacksonville, FL before entering Emory University Medical School, where he graduated in 1988. He completed residencies at the Medical University of South Carolina in Internal Medicine and Anesthesia. 

 

One week following his medical school graduation, he was married at Unity Presbyterian to Mary Susan Smith, a child and adolescent psychiatrist.  Their first children, twins Anne and Claire, were born in June 1993. He completed his residency in Anesthesia in December 1993 and the family moved to Spartanburg, SC. Their youngest child, Susannah, was born there in 1996. He practiced at Spartanburg Regional Hospital until 2007 when the family moved to Denver, NC. Frank joined the staff at Catawba Valley Regional Medical Hospital in April 2007 and retired in June 2022. 

 

He was an avid golfer and also held a pilot’s license. One of his favorite sayings was “I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few.” 

 

He is survived by his wife, Susan Smith Rinaldo, and daughters Anne, Claire, and Susannah Rinaldo. 

 

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 13 at 2:00pm in the sanctuary at Unity Presbyterian Church, 8210 Unity Church Rd, Denver, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Unity Presbyterian Church Building Fund.