Elizabeth Ann Rhine

Elizabeth Ann Heiligman Rhine was born in Claremore, OK on February 7, 1954 to Richard and Billie Heiligman.   While attending Claremore High School, she met the love of her life, Mark Rhine. They recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary.  

Elizabeth attended Oklahoma State University as a third-generation legacy and returned to Claremore for a career in teaching at both Westside and Claremont Elementary Schools. She particularly enjoyed her time teaching kindergarten. In her classroom, she loved hatching chicks (and many other class pets), arts and crafts projects, gingerbread hunts, and teaching her students to read.  Elizabeth later added an additional OSU diploma, a Master’s in Early Childhood Education.  She was a lifelong Oklahoma State fan but always a good sport attending Sooner games with her family. 
Her summers were enjoyed at the family cabin in NE Oklahoma. Over her life, the cabin was full of five generations of family and friends, countless rounds of bridge, and many creek floats. In her retirement, she operated a small business and loved spending time with her family and dog. 
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Billie Heiligman, sister, Victoria Statham, and brother, Richard Heiligman Jr.  She is survived by her husband, Mark Rhine, of Claremore, and daughter, Kate Edge, and her husband, Elliott, and their daughter, Eloise, of Denver, CO, sister, Carolyn Heiligman of Tulsa, and niece, Krisi Stapleton, and her husband, Weston, and children, Kadence and Trystin, of Haskell. In lieu of flowers, please provide donations in Elizabeth’s name to Claremore Public Schools Foundation.