45°
Rist was born Jan. 8, 1936, in Chicago, Ill., to Harold and Ann Rist. He was raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Dowling High School in Des Moines in 1954 and served in the 502nd Airborne Infantry. Following military service, he embarked on a sales and marketing career that eventually focused on military brokerage when he joined Eurpac in 1962. In 1970, he left Eurpac to join Dunham & Smith (D&S) quickly rising to regional manager in Germany soon followed by promotion to executive service in the company’s Greenwich, CT-based headquarters in 1972.
In 1980, he engineered an employee-leveraged buyout of D&S following the death of its chief executive Robert Brooks. He served as president and CEO of D&S for many years during which he also founded a subsidiary company, Mid-Valley Products, and acquired competitor Eagle Sales. Prior to his retirement, he oversaw the merging of D&S with Eurpac in 1996.
He became a member of the Shorehaven Golf Club in East Norwalk in 1982 and remained a member for more than 30 years. Rist is survived by his wife, Barbara; son, Oliver; daughter, Juliane Riding; and two grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in early summer with details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to USO.
For more information, please visit: www.magnerfuneralhome.com
Click here to follow Daily Voice Wilton and receive free news updates.
