Gerald Allen Reinbold

Jerry Reinbold was born in 1940 in a log cabin in Oscoda, Michigan—a beginning that seemed more suited to a folk tale than the life that followed.

When Jerry was young, his family moved to Detroit after his father took a job with Excello Corporation, a union job with the UAW. He attended Cooley High School, where he graduated—just barely. His mother often joked that she deserved the diploma more than he did.

With youthful confidence and big dreams, Jerry headed west to California. During those years he worked a variety of jobs, including delivering mail to some of Hollywood's biggest stars. He liked to tell stories about Gregory Peck's wife being a bit snotty and the time Jack Benny yelled at him. When he asked Steve McQueen how he was he said “Real Good”, a response Jerry immediately adopted.

Inspired by “The Fountainhead” while in California, Jerry returned to Michigan where he worked a number of odd jobs - setting pins at Ambassador Lanes, delivering ice, etc. while attending classes at Highland Park Community College, all in preparation for his acceptance to Pratt Institute School of Design in Brooklyn, NY. His classmates, learning he was from Detroit, assumed he knew how to bowl and recruited him to the team, where he lettered playing against the Ivy’s. Jerry graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1970 with a degree in architecture, proving that the young man who had barely escaped high school had plenty of academic talent when he found something he truly loved.

Returning to Detroit from New York, Jerry launched a long career in architecture, drawing from his deep passion for all things related to design. During many years at SmithGroup in Detroit he evolved into a recognized design leader ultimately achieving the position of Vice President of Design. He led many different award winning projects of large-scale government complexes such as the Defense Intelligence Agency Headquarters in Washington, DC in the 70's, the Central Intelligence Agency Expansion project in Langley, Va. in the 80's, and complex medical research facilities such as the John D. Dingell Medical Center in Detroit for the Veterans Administration in the 90's. On this project in particular, Jerry applied his love of bold color and pattern inside and out that was pivotal in establishing an image of healing and rejuvenation for the hospital.

Another iconic project in Michigan was the Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center in Auburn Hills with its bold multi-story company logo curtainwall and curved glass corners that established a landmark image for the company as a leader in the automotive industry.

Jerry also designed many university projects throughout Michigan with his signature atrium as a focal point of interaction and collaboration. One such is the Louis M. Elliman Clinical Laboratory Building for Wayne State University which has a 3-story, brick patterned interior atrium complete with towering palm trees intended for the research technicians to enjoy. (And don’t forget his bold curved and patterned all-brick emergency exit doors critical to him to maintain the rounded corners of the exterior)

Another university project of Jerry's celebrating his trademark use of strong color and pattern is the Student Union and Recreational Facility on the Western Michigan University campus. This complex was set at an intersection of the campus that he intended as an energized path and place for students to see and be seen.

Jerry's last few years of practice focused on entering design competitions that would allow him to continue to plan, sketch, and color his ideas into cohesive schemes for further development by others. One such winning competition was a regional oncology center beautifully sited along the edge of the Clinton River wetland.

For, perhaps, his last professional hurrah Jerry won still another competition for the headquarters of the Dongfeng Motor Company in China. The proposed complex was the size of a small city that Jerry laid out, not surprisingly, as a meandering nine-hole golf course! The concept package entailed a series of plans and computer-generated renderings including a headquarters tower and atrium with a suspended 30ft. sphere reminiscent of a huge golf ball. Soon after, China sent back amazing pictures of laborers on bamboo scaffolding building the project purely on the basis of that submitted package!

Throughout his career Jerry thrived on close personal bonds with his workmate friends that continued well into his active retirement.

In 1976, Jerry met Mary, the love of his life. Together they built a life filled with love, adventure, and partnership, sharing 44 years of marriage.

To many of his friends, Jerry was "Rhino.” And he has an impressive collection of rhinos of all shapes and sizes. He treasured his friendships and the camaraderie that came with them. Thursdays at Boodles were sacred. His annual gathering, affectionately known as Camp Rhino, became a cherished tradition and reflected what mattered most to him: good friends, good stories, and plenty of laughter.

Jerry was also an avid golfer. Like most golfers, he spent years chasing the perfect round, and it was a big part of Camp Rhino. A talented artist since childhood, he always had a sketch book handy, and later in life took up painting, his favorite subject being birch trees painted on birch plywood.

Jerry approached life at full speed. His collection of speeding tickets became the stuff of family legend, once getting three in one day, and eventually landed him in court fighting to keep his driver's license. While he could be impatient with delays, inconveniences, and just about anything that slowed him down, he was remarkably generous with people. He was quick to help a friend, share what he had, or lend a hand when it was needed. He never passed a homeless person on the street without giving them the last dollar in his pocket or the contents of his carryout container.

Jerry was proud of being a Detroiter and his blue-collar upbringing. He loved his family, his friends, and sports, especially the Detroit Tigers.

One of the deepest sorrows of Jerry’s life was the loss of his only child, Eric, who preceded him in death in 1996. Though no parent should have to endure such a loss, Eric remained forever in his heart. Jerry was also preceded in death by his much younger brother, Randy. He leaves behind his beloved wife Mary, his brother Dan, his sisters Barbara and Lori, and a large extended family of brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews, cousins by the dozens, countless friends, enough stories to fill many Thursday afternoons at Boodles, and a reminder that life is best lived with purpose, laughter, and the people you love.

No services are planned at this time. Those wishing to honor Jerry's memory may make a donation to Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.