Ruby Reiner

Ruby Reiner, age 87, formerly of Tripp, died Monday, May 6, 2024 at Good Samaritan Society in Howard.

Visitation will be held noon-3 p.m. Saturday, May 11 at Friedens Reformed Church in Tripp. Her funeral service begins at 3 p.m. Interment will be in the Friedens Reformed Church Cemetery.

THE LIFE OF RUBY (A story of Love, Laughter, Cheering and Chatting)

Ruby Marie (Gunnare) Reiner was born in Pine Ridge, SD, on March 18, 1937, to Ramona Rank and John Gabriel. By all accounts, even as a small child, Ruby was an enthusiastic, energetic, witty and outgoing person. At the age of eight, Ruby and her little sister, Rena, may have hit a jackpot in the great game of life when their mom, Ramona, met, fell in love with, and married an equally witty and outgoing Air Force Man and farmer from Delmont, SD named Harold Gunnare. Ruby, Rena and Ramona were happily and joyfully welcomed into the big, boisterous and very close-knit Gunnare Clan of Swedes from Delmont. Not only did Ruby and Rena gain a new dad, but also many, many loving fun and funny aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family who regularly gathered, laughed, celebrated, worked and played together. Those Gunnares became not just Ruby’s family, but also her playmates, compadres, and life-long best friends and companions. (So, it should come as no surprise that one of Ruby’s all-time favorite movies was My Big Fat Greek Wedding!)

While enthusiastically (and loudly) cheerleading for Delmont High School, Ruby met a German farm-boy athlete from Tripp (Delmont's rival) named Delmar Reiner. They dated, fell in love, and eventually married. Ruby and Delmar started a new life together on a farm in the far-off land of Tripp (about 9 miles away.) They had three adventurous, boisterous (and speedy) children - Greg, Kevin and Jackie - who kept Ruby busy chasing, looking after, and trying to rein in. Her kids (and later grandkids) participation in many sports activities also continued Ruby’s life-long pursuit of sports cheering, bleacher-sitting, and socializing/chatting with the other bleacher-seater parents, family, friends and spectators. It was anybody's guess where Ruby was going to be sitting in the bleachers. She was as likely to sit with the other team’s spectators as with her own kids and grandkids hometown team because Ruby needed to chat and catch up with so many friends, family and acquaintances from the other team's fans. Of course, no matter where she sat, Ruby's boisterous laugh and loud cheering always made her easy to find in any crowd. (Just ask her grandkids how loud she laughed and cheered for them!)

Ruby's idea of a truly great day was gathering around a table with family or friends (especially grandkids) playing cards, dice games, or board games while joking, laughing, chatting, telling stories, and just being together with ones she loved. Who won the games was irrelevant to her. What really mattered was being together and surrounded by love and ones she loved.

Ruby also spent a significant part of her life helping families, the elderly, low-income folks, and others in need, through her longtime job at ROCS Community Assistance of South Dakota. In Ruby's own words, her job at ROCS "kept me busy just saving the world one person at a time." We don’t know if she saved the world. But she certainly made it a more entertaining and interesting place whenever she was around. Ruby "took early retirement" from ROCS at the age of 80 (not a typo), never realizing or accepting that others might have considered Ruby to be old herself.

Ruby Reiner is survived by her three children, Greg (and Diana) Reiner of Mitchell, Kevin (and Jill Hagen) Reiner of Crooks and Jackie (and Wayne) Bietz of Burlington, IA. Ruby is also survived by eight grandsons and their wives, Justin (and Leslie) Reiner of Harrisburg, Tyson (and Randi) Reiner of Golden, CO, Jordan (and Katie) Reiner of Clive, IA, Neil (and Julia) Reiner of White Bear Lake, MN, Forrest (and Abbie) Reiner of Yankton, Zac (and Randi) Bietz of Normal, IL, Seth (and Mollie) Bietz of Mediapolis, IA and Weston (and Erin) Bietz of Mediapolis, IA. Ruby was also blessed with ten great-grandchildren, Alexis, Stella, Rylie, Colt, Corbin, Remi, Baker, Alexandra, Nash and Crue; sister, Rena Mae Dambly of Pismo Beach, CA as well as many beloved family members, good friends and favorite acquaintances too numerous to list, but you know who you are.

Ruby was preceded in death by her husband, Delmar Reiner; her parents, Harold and Ramona Gunnare and again, too many beloved family members, friends and favorite acquaintances to list.