Joe was born in California just after WWII ended. His father was in the Air Force, and the family soon after moved to Japan, where they lived for a few years. It was during this time that Joe learned to count to 10 in Japanese, which he would show off for the rest of his life. The family moved back to the US (including his sister, Reni --- his brother John came along a few years later). Joe graduated from high school in Columbus, Mississippi, and then went to Texas Tech, where he met the woman who would become his wife of 51 years, Joy. Two sons came along pretty quickly, first Jim and then Jerald.
Joe spent many years working in the civil service, managing recreation facilities on Air Force bases. After retiring from the civil service, Joe worked for several years as the Athletic Director at St John Berchmans Catholic School, and then as a director at the NEISD after-school care program, KIN. He fully retired about 6 years ago, and dedicated his time and energy to his family, grandkids (Aidan, Avery, Andrew, and Isaac), and friends. Joe's ministry to serve our Lord and help others continued through his volunteer service at SAMM shelter and his church.
Joe Reiner passed away on October 9, 2020 from advanced lymphoma. Restaurant buffet managers may breathe a sigh of relief, but the rest of us will profoundly miss his humor and boundless caring for those around him.
A Memorial Service was held at 11AM on Saturday, October 17th at Porter Loring North, 2102 N Loop 1604 E, San Antonio, TX 78232. A recording of the service is available in the Gallery section under Videos.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joe can be made to SAMMinistries (
https://www.samm.org/give/give-now/) or Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church (
http://www.holytrinitypres.org/online-giving).