Obituary of Aaron James Reifsnyder

Aaron James Reifsnyder was called home by his Heavenly Father on November 23, 2020 after courageously fighting aggressive stage 4 cancer for nearly 2 years.  His wife was by his side.  Aaron is survived by his wife and best friend, Kristin Panzenhagen; his dog kids, Lucas and Heidi; his father, James Reifsnyder; and his brother, Stephen Reifsnyder. 

The central tenet of Aaron’s life was his Christian faith.  He went on several mission trips, ushered at Sunday services, rang in the handbell choir, served on numerous church committees, did grounds maintenance at the church, and was a regular at Bible studies.  He gave his life to God and felt the Lord’s hand leading him, especially in his marriage to Kristin.  And now he is in God’s presence!

Aaron was born in California, spent his early years in Connecticut, where he became a lifelong New England Patriots fan, and graduated from high school and college in Indiana. 

Aaron was a brilliant engineer.  He graduated from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, one of the top engineering programs in the nation, with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.  He also received a MS in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology.  He earned his Professional Engineer license, the engineering profession's highest standard of competence, in Mechanical Engineering.

A decorated veteran, Aaron was commissioned in the United States Air Force and served in the Civil Engineering career field at bases in Georgia, Ohio, and Florida, with deployments to Saudi Arabia and Iraq.  Following his military service, he joined an architecture and engineering firm and did design work for NASA.  When he and Kristin moved to Virginia, he was hired into the Architect of the Capitol as a Senior Project Manager for the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate Office Buildings, and the Library of Congress, and was then promoted to be the Jurisdiction Executive for the Senate Office Buildings.  When Kristin’s career took them to Ohio, Aaron again served in the Air Force, this time in a civilian capacity, leading planning and construction for over 600 facilities.  After a couple years, he and Kristin returned to Virginia and he resumed employment with the Architect of the Capitol where, among other duties, he was involved in coordinating Presidential Inauguration events.  Upon their next move to Massachusetts, he accepted a position as the Lead Engineer for systems protecting critical Air Force assets across the U.S. and overseas.  He remained in this position via telework after he and Kristin returned to Virginia last year.  Aaron was poised to reach senior management levels in the Government, but graciously allowed Kristin’s professional goals to take precedence, re-starting his career every couple of years when she received orders to move. 

The perfect husband and an amazing friend, Aaron was kind, supportive, strong, and adventurous.  He was the best thing that ever happened to Kristin.  They were blessed with 16 years of marriage, and whether they were hiking in the mountains in Europe, enjoying a concert at the Kennedy Center, or having a quiet evening playing Scrabble at home, they loved every moment together.    

Aaron was a wonderful and encouraging son, brother, cousin, and nephew to his family.  He also became especially close to Kristin’s family, becoming the son, brother, and uncle they never had. 

Aaron was known for his sense of humor.  His quick wit and obscure references kept his friends and family in stitches.  Whether he was delivering a one-liner, getting “Reifsnydered” while playing sheephead, or showing up to his sister-in-law’s wedding in a wet suit, he had a knack for making others laugh. 

A life-long animal lover, Aaron adopted four wonderful rescue German Shepherds with Kristin.  One of his greatest hopes was that Shadow and Samson, who passed away a couple of years ago, would greet him at Heaven’s gates.  Aaron and Kristin were also regular volunteers at animal shelters, where Aaron spent long hours caring for the most abused and neglected dogs and cats. 

Aaron excelled at everything he tried, including sports.  He was an incredible racquetball player and, although she was no match for him, one of his favorite pastimes was playing with Kristin.  He was also an avid golfer, and made two holes-in-one in his short life.  He was also an active hiker and outdoorsman, regularly escaping to the closest national park for a day on the trails. 

He will be truly missed!

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the German Shepherd Resource and Rescue Center, Inc. at https://germanshepherdcenter.org/.