Francis (Don) Reinhart
Oct. 26, 1928 – April 12, 2022
Don passed peacefully on April 12, 2022, at Lanark Heights LTC, in Kitchener, Ont. at age 93.
Survived by his friend and former wife, Marguerite Reinhart (nee Bowman); six children and their partners, David (Diane, 2021), Michael (Lin), Gregory (Dana), Nancy (Stephen), Thomas (Yasmine) and Anthony (Tenille); 11 grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.
Born Francis E. Reinhart in Kitchener on Oct. 26, 1928, he was widely known to family and friends as Don Reinhart. He was predeceased by his parents Oscar and Louisa Reinhart, and older siblings Russell (Bob) and Lorraine Steffler.
Don grew up in Waterloo and Kitchener, attending St. Louis Catholic School and St. Jerome’s High School. As a teenager, he served in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets during the Second World War, which ended before he was old enough to serve overseas. Don went on to work in the circulation department at the Kitchener-Waterloo Record before embarking on a long, successful career in car sales, chiefly at Orr Automobiles and then at Stedelbauer Motors. He was proud to have built up a loyal clientele, selling cars to multiple generations of local families.
A lifelong musician, Don was also known as an entertainer in and around Kitchener-Waterloo, playing his electric Gibson guitar in various bands. They included the Conestoga Trail Riders, the Tumbleweed Troubadours and the Henry Vogel Trio, with whom he recorded an album and played many a show at venues such as the Blue Moon Hotel in Petersburg, the Edelweiss Tavern in Kitchener and the Black Forest Inn in Conestogo.
In the early years of television in the 1950s, Don and his band also hosted Ranch House, a weekly, live-to-air, country-and-western variety show on CKCO-TV in Kitchener.
Don enjoyed golf, crossword puzzles, playing cards, road trips and was a keen observer of politics.
Many thanks to the compassionate staff at both Lanark homes, whose caring for our father has been greatly appreciated these past five years.
Cremation has taken place. Friends and family will be received from 11:30 a.m. until 12:45pm on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at the Henry Walser Funeral Home, 507 Frederick St., Kitchener, (519) 749-8467. A memorial service will be held in the chapel at 1:00 p.m. Masks are requested to be worn for the visitation and service. Reception to follow.
As expressions of sympathy, donations to the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.