The Reinking Family

The history of the Reinking family in Henry County began when Ferdinand F. "Ferd" Reinking, who had been born on a farm near Decatur, Indiana, married Josephine E. Fraas of Napoleon (who had been born in Wauseon) on June 27, 1913. Josephine's father, Mr. John W. Fraas, had operated a harness shop on Perry Street for many years, and continued to do so until his death in 1934. Ferd's sister, Mrs. Margaret Reinking (Edward) Funkhouser, had preceded him in marrying and moving to Napoleon.

After their marriage Ferd and Josephine lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for several years, where they established and operated the Reinking Dairy and where their sons John and William were born. In 1925 they moved to Napoleon, living on Carey Street, then Welsted Street, and then at 936 Haley Avenue, where their son Franklin and daughter Dorothy were born. In Napoleon, Ferd worked as an auto mechanic with his brother-in-law, Ed Funkhouser, at the Funkhouser Motor Company on West Main Street.

For several years the Reinking family lived at 1012 Woodlawn, where their home was a popular neighborhood gathering place for playing croquet in their large yard, pitching horseshoes, enjoying watermelons from their large watermelon patch, and winter sledding on the fine hill on the rear of that property. In 1936 they moved to the Deiley farm south of Napoleon, and in 1939 to 538 West Main Street, the former John Fraas home. The Reinking family were active members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, where Franklin and Dorothy both attended the Parochial School for the full eight-year term. All four children graduated from Napoleon High School: John ("Bud") in 1936, William ("Bill") in 1938, Frank in 1946, and Dorothy ("Dort") in 1948.

John graduated from International Business College in Fort Wayne, accepted a position with the Ohio Oil Company (later the Marathon Oil Company) in Findlay, Ohio, and married Phyllis Crist of Arlington, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during WW II, and returned to his job in Findlay after the war. John and Phyllis had four children: Susan, Sarah Jane, John, and Patricia. The family now resides on a farm near Arlington.

William graduated from Indiana Technical College in Fort Wayne, and accepted employment as an engineer in Detroit. He married Jennie Lou Richards of Napoleon in 1942, and shortly thereafter was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy. After the war they moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he was employed as an aeronautical design engineer with the Curtis Wright Company - later North American Aviation. Bill and Jennie Louhad four daughters: Mary Jo, Carol Lynn, Donna Lou, and Lori Marie. They now live in a country home just outside Carroll, Ohio.

Ferd and Josephine Reinking on their wedding day, June 27, 1913

The Frank Reinking family at their home in Dallas, Texas, 1975.

Frank Reinking and his close friend, Russ Patterson, were known as enthusiastic photographers during their years in Napoleon High School, where they worked together on the NHS Buckeye yearbook. After graduation from NHS, Frank served in the U.S. Navy as a pilot and in the U.S. Army in Germany as a photographer. In 1957 he graduated, cum laude, from Ohio State University and accepted a position with Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York. In 1961 he married Ann Druschel of Honeoye Falls, (near Rochester), and their children Gregory, Mark, and Lisa were born in Rochester. Frank worked in manufacturing and in marketing operations for Kodak in Rochester, and in 1969 moved his family to Dallas, Texas, where he assumed responsibility as engineering consultant for motion picture marketing for Eastman Kodak for the Southwest Region of the U.S. His responsibilities included serving as motion picture consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Houston, Texas, during all of the Apollo lunar landing flights and the US-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Frank and his family live in north Dallas, and enjoy weekends fishing and relaxing at their Reinking 5-Star Ranch, which is located south of Dallas.

Dorothy graduated from NHS in 1948, the same year her parents moved from Napoleon to Detroit, where Ferdhad become employed as a machinist with Continental Aviation and Engineering Corporation. She completed nurses' training at Flower Hospital in Toledo, and became a registered nurse. After working at the Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus, she married Mr. Bob Day. They later moved to Somers, Connecticut, where they live with their children Jonathan, Jennifer, Christopher, and Benjamin.

After Ferd retired from his job in Detroit in 1957, he and Josephine moved back to Ohio. Josephine passed away in March, 1960, and her body was returned to Glenwood Cemetery in Napoleon for burial beside her parents. Ferd passed away in January, 1968, and is buried beside his wife in Napoleon.

Submitted By Frank Reinking

The John J. Reiser Family

Reinking Family Correction, Volume 3, Page 62

In Volume I, Reinking Family History, the marriage date of Ferdinand Reinking and Josephine Fraas was given as June 27, 1913.

That date should be June 27, 1915. The marriage ceremony was conducted in Napoleon by Pastor F.J. Lankenau.