Kenneth J. Reiners, 83 of Kearney, died Saturday, September 23, 2017 at his residence. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Friday at St. James Catholic Church in Kearney. The Rev. Joe Hannappel will officiate. Interment will be in the Kearney Cemetery. Visitation will be 4-7pm, Thursday at the church with a prayer vigil at 6 PM.
Memorials are suggested to the Kearney Public School Foundation or St. James Catholic Church. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney is serving the family.
Kenneth James Reiners was born August 2, 1934 in Indianola, NE to Lawrence and Florence (Tines) Reiners. He grew up on a farm north of Indianola and graduated from Red Willow High School in 1951. Ken attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln where he was a member of the football and track teams from 1952-54. He graduated from UNL in 1956.
Following graduation Ken began his teaching career in Wallace, Nebraska. In 1958, he began teaching at Crete High School where he was also the head football coach. In 1964 his Crete High School football team won the Nebraska Class B State Championship. He also was an assistant coach and later the head coach for the South Team in the Nebraska Shrine Bowl. In 1967, he moved to Kearney where he taught at Kearney High School for 38 years, retiring in 1999.
He was an active member of St. James Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, the Kearney Education Association, a past board member of the Kearney Public School Foundation and the Kearney Elks Club.
Ken enjoyed officiating football and basketball, playing golf, hunting, fishing and theater productions.
Survivors include a special friend, Charleen Frerichs of Kearney; his children: Diane Reiners of Omaha, NE, Nancy Steele and husband William of Ellijay, GA, and Dan Reiners and wife Jo of Wichita, KS; seven grandchildren, Jenny Goelz, Kelly (Stephanie) Goelz, Robin (Curtis) Krumreich, Morgan Reiners, Evan (Chris) Childs, Collin Steele and Jordan Steele; two great grandchildren, Bianca Goelz and Gavin Childs; a sister, Charlotte Rantala of Hayward, Wisconsin.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Larry.
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