Reiner Rehbein
MAY 24, 1940 – MARCH 21, 2022
Reiner Ralf Rudolf Rehbein May 24, 1940 – March 21, 2022
With profound sadness in our hearts, we announce the passing of Reiner Rehbein - a wonderful husband, father, grandpa and friend. In the early hours of March 21st, after a courageous battle with cancer, Reiner died peacefully in the arms of his loving wife. Reiner was born in Gross-Tychow, Germany during WWII, to parents Walter and Gertrud Rehbein. He grew up as an only child but found out very late in life that he actually had a half brother he’d never met. He had been grateful to have his cousin Gertrud Juergens to share his childhood with. Being born into a war-torn country made for a very difficult childhood, but his courage and perseverance came through at a very young age. His father was enlisted in the German army as a cook, but never returned home. Around age five, his family was shipped out to Freest, Germany, when that part of the country was no longer theirs to live in. This is where Reiner met some lifelong friends, completed his childhood education and went on to become an Electrical Journeyman. At seventeen, he escaped from East Germany and completed his degree in Electrical and X-Ray Engineering in West Germany. He travelled the world selling, installing and repairing medical equipment for Siemens from 1961 - 1973. While helping to establish Siemens in North America, he sold and installed medical equipment at Health Science Centre in Winnipeg Manitoba, which is when he was first introduced to beautiful Northwestern Ontario.
In 1973, he immigrated to Canada to pursue a new career in travel and tourism. He worked with fishing lodges and wilderness camps around Northwestern Ontario, promoting and marketing, which lead him into owning and managing Century Lodge for thirteen years.
In 1988, Reiner found the AA organization, and found home there. He became a fundamental member to the Kenora groups and was passionately involved in sponsorship and service, dedicating much of his time and heart to helping others in the program. The relationships he found here changed the trajectory of his life for the better, and he found many life-long friends who he considered family.
In 1998, he met the love of his life, Beverly. In 2004, the happy couple were married in Kenora, Ontario, Canada. The rest is a beautiful tale of love, contentment, fun and family. In marrying Bev, Reiner gained three children, which very much became his own.
Reiner and Bev spent their lives together in every sense of the word. They shared a beautiful home on the lake. They loved traveling together, dancing, dinner parties with friends and time with family. As the family grew, Reiner became a grandpa to four beautiful grandchildren. Watching him with his grandchildren was magical. To see a man who had fought to overcome so much, he turned it around and was only stronger and more loving because of it. He turned adversity into opportunity, with every chance he had. Reiner was a very special man, and anyone that knew him could attest to that.
He will be greatly missed by his loving wife Bev, his children Tim (Heidi), Sarah (Marlon) and Katie (Kevin), his grandchildren (Yael, Maya, Hannah and Annie), his cousins Gertrud Juergens, Ingrid (Manfred) Hazel, Marlene (Foster) Wetmore, Emily Schwab, and his countless friends.
A Celebration of his life will be held at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre in Kenora at 2:00pm on Friday, April 8th 2022.
We would like to thank the doctors and nurses at LOTW District Hospital, for the care they provided Reiner. In lieu of flowers, we would ask that donations be made in memorandum to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital at https://lwdhf.com/donate-now.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownfuneralhomekenora.com for the Rehbein family.