Robert Louis Reins

Robert Louis (Bob) Reins passed away on December 29, 2018. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than seventy years, Cecelia (Ceil), who passed away in June, and by his son-in-law, Dr. Timothy Fangman. He is survived by his three children, Ann Fangman, in Omaha, Nebraska; Mary Scott (Richard) Cimino in Naples, Florida; and John (Judy) Reins in Littleton, Colorado; by his ten grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.

Bob was born on December 13, 1919 in Quincy, Illinois to Lloyd and Rena Reins. When Bob was only four years old, Lloyd contracted iritis and became blind, derailing a promising career in sales. Lloyd became a piano tuner and Rena got a job at an appliance store where she worked well into her seventies. Bob sold magazine subscriptions and worked other odd jobs to help the family make ends meet during the Depression. He graduated from North High School in Des Moines and then went up the road to Ames to attend Iowa State University. He worked two jobs while in college to pay for school and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 1941. Bob enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a Hellcat pilot flying off the carrier deck of the USS Belleau Wood. In the course of his service, he was awarded five Air Medals and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

After the war, he met and married Ceil, and worked for more than thirty-five years with the prominent architectural/engineering firm of Henningson, Durham & Richardson, Inc. (HDR) at their headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. He retired as Executive Vice President of HDR and moved to Naples, Florida in the 1990s. An avid but imperfect golfer, he counted all his strokes, was a good addition to any foursome, and always paid off his bets. Bob did not suffer fools gladly but, if you were an unfoolish person, he could be the best of companions.

Bob was active in AA for the last third of his life, serving as a sponsor for many recovering alcoholics. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the 24 Hour Club of Naples, Inc.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. William Catholic Church on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at 10:00 AM followed by Entombment at Naples Memorial Gardens. A Reception will be held at The Marbella in Pelican Bay at 12:30 PM.