Tom Donald Reinecker

Tom Reinecker, August 21,1938-September 25,2017

Tom passed away Monday, September 25th at home after a 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease.  The cool thing about our dad was that he never complained about his situation; rather he just accepted it.

On August 21,1938, Tom was born in New Plymouth, Idaho to parents Violet and Donald Reinecker.  At the age of 6 months his family moved to Oregon where he was raised in logging camps.  In 1956 Tom graduated from Sisters High School in Sisters, Oregon and entered college graduating from Oregon State University in 1961 with a degree in Fish and Wildlife Management.  During college he worked for the US Forest Service fighting fire as a smoke jumper as well as working for the State Forestry Department in Sisters.  In 1961 after graduating from Oregon State, Tom began a long career with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG).

While at Oregon State he met Marjorie Stimson and they were married in 1962 in Salem, Oregon.  They had two children, Jodi Burnett (husband Andrew) and Scott Reinecker (wife Kimberly).

Tom's first assignment with IDFG was as a Conservation Officer II in Lewiston, Idaho.  In 1967 he was promoted to Regional Conservation Officer stationed in McCall.  In 1973 the Department established 6 new positions of Regional Supervisor.  Tom was the first appointed to Region 6 in Idaho Falls which he held for 12 years.  Then in 1985 he was offered the position of Wildlife Bureau Chief in Boise.  He retired from the Department in 1997 ending an exceptional 36 year career.

1997 was also the year that Tom's first grandchild was born.  He loved to spend time with his grandson Jacob hunting and fishing and was with him in the Middle Fork when he got his first deer.  Tom also spent many hours cheering on his granddaughter, Sarah, at her basketball and volleyball games.  He was Sarah's biggest fan next to her Grandma.  Tom also loved to golf with Marjorie and they both loved their annual camping trip to Redfish Lake with their life-long Idaho Falls friends.

He was preceded in death by his brother Colen and his parents Violet and Donald Reinecker.

Tom participated in exercise classes geared toward people with Parkinson's disease.  He especially enjoyed the friends he made in The Rock Steady Boxing group whose motto is "In Your Corner Fighting Back Against Parkinson's".  No flowers are necessary but if you would like to donate to the National Parkinson's Foundation 200 SE 1st Street Suite 800 Miami, FL 33131 please do so.

At Tom's request there will be no funeral service and his ashes will be scattered by his family at a later date.