Richard Rynd, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing the 2nd and 11th districts, died on Wednesday, June 15. The Pikesville resident was 90.
“Richard was a gentleman in every meaning of the word,” wrote former Del. Robert L. Frank in a memorial tribute on the website of Sol Levinson & Bros. “In 1994 I ran for office against him. Before the election we saw each other and he wished me well. This was not braggadocio or puffery, it was the genuine feelings of a man of great stature. After the election when I won, Richard was one of the first to congratulate me and he helped me grow into the new job. … He will be missed by all for his pure goodness.”
A New York native, Rynd attended New York City public schools, as well as the College of William and Mary and New York University. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1951-53.
Rynd became a licensed nursing home administrator and the owner and manager of commercial real estate properties. For two decades, he served as a member of the Baltimore County Commission on the Aging.
A Democrat, Rynd served as a member of the House of Delegates, representing Baltimore County, from 1967 to 1974 and from 1987 to 1994.
In 2016, he was appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan to serve on the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, the governance board for Maryland Public Television.
Among the organizations and nonprofits on which Rynd served were the Citizens Planning and Housing Association, the Baltimore Association for Histadrut, the Midfield Improvement Association, the Boy Scouts of America, Jewish War Veterans, the Maryland Committee for State of Israel Bonds, the Associated Jewish Charities and Welfare Fund, and Beth Tfiloh Synagogue.
Rynd is survived by his children, Sonia Schaftel and Alan Rynd, his grandchildren, Samara (Michael) Perchick and Arielle Ashpes, and his companion, Goody Finkelstein. He was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Selma Rynd (nee Boritzer), his daughter, Marcy Rynd, and his siblings, Blanche Freeman and Sylvia Francus.
Services for Rynd will be held at Sol Levinson, 8900 Reisterstown Rd. in Pikesville, on Sunday, June 19, at 1 p.m. Interment will be at Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, 5660 Windsor Mill Rd.
Contributions in his memory may be sent to Beth Tfiloh Congregation or any charity related to Israel. The family will be in mourning at 8570 Leisure Hill Dr. in Pikesville.
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