Dick H. Reinking

Richard “Dick” Harry Reinking, 84, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 18, 2026. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Harry Henry Otto Reinking and Helen May (Roesener) Reinking on February 17, 1941, he was the oldest of five children.

He went to Emmaus Lutheran Church for his elementary education, then graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School where he played trumpet in the band and participated in the ROTC program all four years of high school. Dick also attended IPFW for one year of college as an English major.

He worked for G.C. Murphy’s Department Store at the corner of Wayne Street and South Calhoun Street at the candy counter. Then he later worked for International Harvester. His dream was to be a State Police Officer. Dick was disheartened to learn he wasn’t tall enough for the job. He served in the United States Army Reserves from August 1963 to August 1969. During that time Dick was trained to be an Armor Intelligence Specialist under the Armored Cavalry Division. He also served as a patrol officer for the Fort Wayne Police Department from October 1964 until he retired in 1997. He was never one to brag about his accolades. We found an award he received for being such a good marksman and a certificate for his membership to the Fraternal Order of Police for 50 years. Dick drove the station wagon ambulance from 1964 to 1972 providing first aid and medical care before paramedics ever existed. Once the paramedics started, he didn’t want to stop serving in that capacity so he still did some calls until his sergeant took the gurney away from his police ambulance. After that he still transported a few people to the hospital if they were ambulatory. In 1968, our dad became very ill with hepatitis which, came from his work on the ambulance.

In 1992, George H.W. Bush visited Fort Wayne during his presidential career, requiring typical high-level security coordination from the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD). These visits, were part of his campaign or presidential duties, that involved managing motorcades and crowd control alongside federal agents. Our dad was part of that operation, including the motorcade and acting in the capacity of a sniper at the Baerfield Airport when the president arrived. In 1968 and 1969 there were racial riots going on. Black people were protesting because they were not receiving enough police protection. He walked a beat from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm from Creighton Street to Hanna Street and back to show a police presence. Thankfully, he was never injured and never had to harm anyone. In 1978, Fort Wayne experienced a blizzard. Dad would get picked up on the corner of McKinnie Avenue and Spatz Avenue to drive a 4-wheel drive jeep that Kelly Buick donated to the Police Department for transportation during the blizzard. Any citizens needing medical attention would need a fire truck to pick them up as the ambulances could not make it down the streets. He would help bring medical supplies, medications and groceries into the neighborhood during that storm.

He married our mother, Phyllis Kay Johnston on September 25, 1965, at Emmaus Lutheran Church at the corner of Broadway and Creighton. The oldest daughter, Karla, was three years old at that time, whom he legally adopted in 1972. The marriage lasted for 24 years and ended due to irreconcilable differences. However, they remained best friends until Phyllis passed away on February 1, 2011. Together, Dick and Phyllis raised five children, Karla, Rebecca "Becky", Sandra "Sandy", Richard "Rick", and Keith. They purchased the home we knew for most of our lives on Spatz Avenue, where Dick resided until he passed.

Our dad was the “breadwinner" of our family. He had a very strong work ethic and went to work whether he was sick or had very little sleep, except for the time he had hepatitis. Dick worked part-time jobs, such as stocking shelves at a grocery store, security guard duty at Pizza Hut and McDonald's after South Side High School and Bishop Luers High School Football and Basketball games just to make sure that we could get a Christian education at Emmaus Lutheran School. Dad was very frugal. He would never fill the gas tank and would always put 1 or 2 dollars in the tank at a time to get us places. We didn’t have much money, so he would use duct tape to repair the car, the caved in ceiling and for most house repairs. He switched to scotch tape as he aged.

Dick was a very hands-on type of dad and very protective. He never spanked us or beat us as kids, but he did yell at us, ground us, and gave us looks of great disappointment. Our dad was very involved with all five of us kids growing up. If he wasn’t working, he was going to all our after-school sporting events, choir concerts, band concerts. Dick had a passion for baseball and spent a lot of time working with Rick and Keith to develop their skills as good baseball players. Our dad took Karla, Becky, and Sandy on a fishing trip at Lake Hamilton and took us to church every Sunday he didn’t have to work. He taught us how to play games like scrabble, parchesi, checkers, and euchre. We have many fond memories of the family vacations he took us on in Mackinaw City, Michigan, Mackinac Island, the Soo Locks, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and staying in a cabin at Holton Lake and Carp Lake. We made many trips as a family to nearby ice cream shops for ice cream cones on hot summer evenings. He took us to the Allen County Fairs, Three Rivers Festival Parades and always, Memorial Day Parades. Dick also took us to the Shrine Circuses and to Holiday on Ice shows.

Our dad loved his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. He was not overly involved in their lives, but he always wanted to know what they were doing and how they were doing. Dick loved babies. He was playful with our kids when they were together and he said a prayer for them every night. Christmas and Easter were very special as well as big holidays for us kids. Grandma and Grandpa Reinking were the big influence for how we celebrated. Our dad always baked the family recipe sugar cookies and we would sit around the table and decorate them. Family celebrations, meals together, baptisms and our confirmations were big deals.

Anyone who knew our dad, knew that he loved trains, airplanes, ships, and animals. He spent many hours watching the trains pass through when they were at the Baker Street Station and then in New Haven. He enjoyed collecting model scale trains, train layouts, putting together models of space shuttles, cars, airplanes and ships. Dick loved sports, but especially baseball. The Chicago Cubs were his favorite team. He played as a kid, but also on a men’s softball league. Dick had quite a temper and would argue with the baseball officials face to face. He had two big fears that he never conquered, one of water, and one of flying. Our dad loved the United States of America. He was very proud to be a citizen, to vote, to be respectful of our military and the American flag. Dick was very patriotic to say the least.

He was very instrumental in our faith as were his parents, our grandparents. Dick belonged to Emmaus Lutheran Church and served as an usher during worship services. He was not a saint by any means of the word, but he never wavered in his belief in the Triune God, and always encouraged us to go to church even in our adult lives. When Emmaus moved out Southwest of Fort Wayne, he transferred his membership to Emmanuel Lutheran Church of downtown, Fort Wayne on January 22, 2007. He loved everything about the church from the ministers, the worship services, the ministries, the décor, the newsletters and the music. Receiving Holy Communion was very important to him and being able to watch the worship services online was very meaningful to him. As critical, stubborn, and as mean as he could be at times, he was intelligent, a deep thinker, humble, and self-deprecating. His last words at the end of a phone conversation would be, “Love ya, take care, stay safe, and God bless”.

His legacy lives on through his children, Karla (Douglas) Hofherr, Rebecca (Mark) Hardesty, Sandra Souder, and Keith (Jennifer) Reinking; daughter-in-law, Angi Lytle Reinking; 17 grandchildren, Maria Treace, Nathan Hofherr, Ashley Reinking, Stephanie Dawson, April Warner, Alan Bork, Jessica Reinking, Ryan Reinking, David Souder, Jr., Kyle Reinking, Shelby Reinking, Devany Reinking, Cheyenne Flotow, Dakota Reinking, Kayla Brown, Brandon Dodson, and Gabriel Tilbury; 42 great-grandchildren, Brayden Irelan, Grace Newton, Alana Treace, Zaiden Treace, Macie Treace, Ava Treace, Leith Treace, Kaylie Reinking-Hardesty, Jamie Reinking-Hardesty, Colton Reinking-Hardesty, Makenzie Reinking, Makaylan Reinking, Brooke Bork, TJ Dawson, CJ, Vanessa Dawson, Kelsey Warner, Kaleb Warner, Audrianna Stark-Bork, Axel Bork, Macey, Liam Bork, Charlotte (Lotti) Bork, Kaidrean Reinking-Arroyo, Selayia Reinking, Landon Reinking, Skyler Reinking, Oliver Reinking, Arya Reinking, Ronan Reinking, Koa Reinking, Layla Baker, Addison Baker, Kaisen Johnson, Kallie Johnson, Aryianna, Pena, Leo Pena, Asher Flotow, Callie Flotow, Matthew Reinking, Elijah Brown, Avalee Brown and Levi Modarressi; three great-great-grandchildren, Adam Hardesty, Rayleigh Hardesty, and Asher Hardesty; sister, Janice Hand; brother, Harold (Jana) Reinking; and his sister-in-law, Suzie Reinking. He was preceded in death by his son, Richard "Rick" Reinking; grandson, Justin Reinking; great-grandchildren, Alexis Stark-Bork, Drandon Reinking, Alaira Reinking, Jaxon Follis, and Bodhi Brown; parents, Harry and Helen Reinking; sister, Linda Reinking; and brother, James Reinking.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church 917 West Jefferson Boulevard Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802 with visitation beginning at 9:30 am. Burial to follow the service at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Memorial contributions in Dick's name may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church or the Fraternal Order of Police.