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Lawrence L. Rhee, 88, died peacefully on October 26, 2005 in Albuquerque. He was a loving husband and father who was an example of kindness, integrity, and good humor. His only vice in life was his unquenchable love for chocolate. He was born in Reckinghausen, Germany on July 13, 1917. He and his family fled Nazi Germany and settled in Bernalillo, NM in 1936. He was a member of the New Mexico pioneer Seligman family who owned and operated the Bernalillo Mercantile Company. In 1942, Rhee enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in Military Combat Intelligence in the European Theatre, interrogating German POWs. After the war, he served in the Nuremberg War Crime Trials, first as a translator, then as Chief of the Photographic Evidence Division. There he befriended Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, who gave Rhee a significant collection of photographs of Nazi leaders, including Adolph Hitler and Herman Goering. The prosecution staff also gave him several photos used as evidence of the Holocaust atrocities. He returned to the US and worked in the lumber industry. In 1949 he moved to Mexico where he translated lumber grading rules into Spanish and taught lumber grading for export to U.S. markets. While in Mexico, he met and married the love of his life, Alicia B. Moreno. He returned to Albuquerque in 1959 with his family and worked for Duke City Lumber Company until his retirement in 1982. Since all of his school records were lost in Germany, he started night school in 1962 and graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1964 at the age of 47. After retirement, he often spoke at New Mexico schools and civic organizations about the Holocaust and the Nuremberg trials. He emphasized the need for religious and racial understanding and tolerance. In 1983, KNME TV produced a documentary featuring his photographs and experiences. He donated a significant portion of his collection to the New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum. He was preceded in death by his parents, Moritz Rhee and Else Seligman Rhee; and his sisters, Anita Colby and Ursula Johnson. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Alicia; his children, Norman (Vera) Rhee, Robert (Nancy) Rhee of Fort Wayne, IN, Lillian (Larry) Mowery, and E. Arlene (Michael) Casparian of Overland Park, KS; and seven grandchildren, Christina Rhee, Gregory Casparian, David Rhee, Elizabeth Rhee, Rebecca Casparian, Suzanne Rhee, David Casparian; and his brother, Heinz L. Rhee of Guadalajara, Mexico. A Memorial Service will be held at Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana Blvd, NE on Friday, October 28, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. Graveside Services at Fairview Cemetery will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Albert. REFLECTIONS Funerals and Life Celebrations 2400 Washington St. NE 884-5777
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