Audrey Rinna (Benedix), Valley Home icon, lover of the mountains, bestower of unconditional love to all who knew her, passed away in her home of more than 50 years on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
Audrey Cecelia Benedix was born on March 2, 1945 to Richard and Thora “Toots” Benedix (Eriksen) in Escalon, California. She was welcomed at their little house in Valley Home by her older sisters, Judy and Sharon. Baby sister, Ricky, later completed their family of six. She was baptized in St. John’s Lutheran Church. When she was 13 years old, her parents built their forever home on Freelove Avenue and so she moved about a mile up the road until she married. She attended Valley Home School, kindergarten through eighth grade, and then attended Oakdale High School, graduating in 1963.
In 1949, Audrey’s parents bought a cabin in Dardanelle, California and from then on their family began spending their summers there. Not only did this bring abundant magical summers alongside her many cousins on the hill, it became a special place where family became friends and friends became family. On that same hill began her long love story with the rascally Freddy Rinna whom she married in 1968 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He passed away in 2002 and so she bravely continued on without him with newfound independence. In 2018, the family cabin was lost to wildfire but was rebuilt and able to be used by her up until the month prior to her passing ... including a weekend with all four of her grandchildren under its roof.
1971 brought their son, Kenny (Erinn) and 1974 brought their daughter, Karen (Jeff). Audrey and Freddy raised their little family in the heart of Valley Home giving their children the magical childhood of bygone eras. With family just down the road and built-in friends on every street, they lived a charmed life filled with laughter, traditions, and a deep root system that still remains to this day. As a stay-at-home mom for much of their childhood, she became the “town mom” to anyone who needed her, threw great birthday parties, was active in the Valley Home Parent’s Club, and could whip up anything you wanted in the kitchen. She did it all with a cheerful and jovial spirit and a smile and laugh that lit up the room.
Four of the great joys of her life came in the form of her grandchildren, Tyler Anthony Rinna, Kiley Rose Rinna, James Patrick Titus, and Eli Eriksen Titus. She was their Mimi and while she treated each one of them equally, she also had a way of connecting with them individually and celebrating them for exactly who they are. There was never any doubt about her love and loyalty to them and it was reciprocated by each of them in their own special way. Simply put, she was pure magic.
Audrey worked in payroll at Hershey prior to starting a family and then returned for a short time after raising her children. She eventually moved on to Oakdale High School to run the Library until she retired after more than 25 years. She was well-known to many students and colleagues as a kind and warm person who could be counted on to lend a listening ear or a soft place to land when life presented challenges.
Waiting to welcome Audrey into Heaven were her husband Freddy, parents, Richie and Toots Benedix, mother and father-in-law, Tony and Albina Rinna, sisters Sharon and Ricky, brother-in-law Glen Duncan, and many cousins and close friends. It must have been a truly joyful reunion.
There will be a funeral service at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 10 a.m. and a Celebration of Life to follow at the Escalon Sportsman’s Club.
Due to the small size of the church, seating will be limited. There will be a live stream available in the basement of the church or for you to access on your personal device.
Please see the obituary listed on oakdaleriverbank.com for the link.
Remembrances may be made to Valley Home Community Park in care of Karen Titus, P.O. Box 2462, Oakdale, CA 95361.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) News
Sept. 3, 2025
