Obituary of Irene Herta Rider/Reinstrom

Irene Herta Rider/Reinstrom was born to Franz and Antonie Ringel on July 13, 1924 in Breslau Germany, the youngest of 4 children. She loved their farm and the sounds of the river flowing through the paper mill in what was known as Silesia prior to WWII. As the war ended, 18 year old Irene, her parents and sister had to relinquish their property and belongings to the Russian Allied Forces, and they were moved to Nordenham Germany as part of the chaos of the European "resettlement" when WWII ended. Irene trained at a German technical college to become a secretary after the war. She married United States Army Master Sgt. Kenneth Rider in Bamberg, Germany, and while stationed in Augsburg they welcomed their first son Norman. The family was next assigned to Fort Hood, Texas where Irene worked part-time and raised her son alone while her husband was deployed to Korea. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1956. The Riders were deployed back to Nuremburg, Germany where their second son, Ray, was born. They returned to the United States in 1962 and lived in Glendora for 9 years, where Command Sargent Major Rider retired from the military. Irene was inspired by her Uncle Wenzel Salomon's paintings and took college painting classes to become a painter herself, showing her work at local gatherings. She also enjoyed a weekly "Kaffeeklatsch" (coffee chat) with her German girlfriends. She visited her mother and father in Germany as often as possible. Kenneth needed a better climate for his health, so they purchased a new home in Aptos, where Irene learned sculpting through the Cabrillo College ceramics program, joined the UCSC Women's Club, and became an avid gardener, receiving a first place garden award from the Rolling Greens Estates Improvement Association. She loved to travel to Hawaii, making numerous trips with her husband and friends. After caring for Kenneth who passed away from a long illness, Irene took a trip with her granddaughter Anne to Germany, and she reconnected with an old boyfriend, whose family owned a fine clothing store in Nordenham. They corresponded for a year, and she found love a second time. Irene married Gerold Reinstrom and moved again to Germany for 7 years where she helped to run the clothing store. Irene moved back to California after her second husband's sudden death in 1999, returning to her original Aptos home until she moved to the Chanticleer Home due to complications from Alzheimer's. The last years of her very full life were supported by the caring staff at Chanticleer, enriched by visits from beloved family and friends, and brightened by the recent arrival of her first great grandchild. She is survived by her sister Blanka Hamann of Hannover, Germany, her two sons Norman Rider of Washington and Ray Rider of Aptos; four grandchildren from her sons- Anne, Jennifer, Ken and Katie; and great granddaughter Mavis. A memorial service for family and friends will be held on Wednesday, January 23rd at 1 p.m. at the St. Joseph's Church in Capitola. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Santa Cruz Alzheimer's Association in Irene's name.