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REMEMBRANCE Lisa Rinna remembers her father Medford's Frank Rinna passed away at age 93 Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 22, 2016 at 3:16 PM Updated Jan 22, 2016 at 5:04 PM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 22, 2016 at 3:16 PM Updated Jan 22, 2016 at 5:04 PM » Social News Actress Lisa Rinna is in Medford helping her mother and sister handle arrangements following the death of her father, Frank Rinna. The Medford artist, with four decades in commercial art and two decades pursuing fine art, died Thursday at the age of 93. Frank Rinna spent the last 45 years in the Rogue Valley, with his wife of 55 years, Lois. The Rinnas moved to Medford in 1970 from Corona del Mar, Calif., and he worked as art director for Harry and David from the late 1960s until 1988. Lisa Rinna said that his work at Harry and David required him to travel frequently. When her acting career took her to major cities starting in the 1980s, her father would meet her. "I would meet up with him in Chicago," Rinna said. "He was always so supportive." Lisa Rinna is most known for her roles on various television shows, including "Days of Our Lives," "Melrose Place," "Veronica Mars" and, currently, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." She is married to actor Harry Hamlin, and they have two daughters. After Frank retired from Harry and David, he and Lois remained in the same east Medford home near the Rogue Valley Country Club until the middle of last year. Lisa helped prepare the home for sale, which was featured on an episode of "Real Housewives." She remembers when her now-teenage daughters were about 5 and 8 years old, they'd ride in his golf cart from the home to the golf course. "He spent hours and hours with them in the golf cart," she said. Rinna said she gained her work ethic from him. Frank Rinna was an accomplished artist who graduated summa cum laude from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley in 1949, after serving in the Air Force during World War II. "He was always so supportive. He always thought I could do so much more than I thought I could do," she said. Rinna's daughters loved spending time with him in his art studio, where he spent much of his time after retiring. The juried member of the Oregon Watercolor Society would teach his granddaughters new art techniques and help them tap into their creativity. "They adored him," Rinna said. "He was very patient." His exhibits were shown often at the Rogue Gallery & Art Center in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Britt Festival used Rinna's work twice for its annual festival posters, first in 1998 and then in 2002 to commemorate the festival's 40th anniversary with a portrait of Peter Britt drinking wine with friends. After Medford football coach Fred Spiegelberg died, Frank Rinna memorialized him in a bronze sculpture. His work is in collections at the Rogue Valley Manor, among other places. Rinna's watercolors were shown at Rogue Gallery and Art Center and other local galleries in the 1990s and 2000s. Former Rogue Gallery & Art Center director Nancy Jo Mullen remembered him as a patient man who'd gladly share his skills with other watercolorists. "I think he enjoyed doing just exactly what he wanted in retirement," Mullen said. As important as art and creative endeavors were in the family, Lisa Rinna remembers that his family, particularly his wife, was at the center. She remembered her father saying, "Out of the tree of life, I picked me a plum." "He revered my mom," she said. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 22, 2016 at 3:16 PM Updated Jan 22, 2016 at 5:04 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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