metro
Navy veteran Herbert Reinheimer,
90, lives at Sunrise Senior Living
in West Bloomfield.
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YOUNG ADULT DIVISION
A Well-Anchored Life
Navy vet "wouldn't change a thing."
Sue Pearl
Special to the Jewish News
H
erbert Reinheimer, 90, has
certainly lived an adventur-
ous life.
According to his daughter in-law
Arlene, Herb was an avid sailor. He
had a 36-foot Peterson sailboat named
Blue Jacket that he sailed all over Lake
Superior. Through the years, he par-
ticipated in many exciting boat races
including the Mackinaw Island Races,
which he completed 25 times. This
entitled Herb to be a member of the
exclusive Old Goat Society, one of the
highest honors among sailors.
What I found most interesting
about Herb, though, is that when I
interviewed him, he never once spoke
about sailing. He spoke about his pas-
sion for Detroit, the Navy and his late
wife, Dorothy. Somehow, these are the
constants that stayed with him his
whole life. What follows is Herb's story
... according to him.
Herb grew up in Detroit. He didn't
grow up just anywhere though ...
Herb's first house was located near
where the historic Fisher Building now
stands. "My house was in the same
location where the Fisher parking
garage is today. Maybe, I was actually
born right in that exact spot;' said
Herb jokingly. "My grandfather, along
with other fellow neighbors, sold their
lots of land to the Fisher brothers, and
the rest is history."
Herb loved growing up in Detroit
after his family moved to Virginia
Park."I enjoyed playing baseball in
the street with all my friends:' said
Herb, who attended Central High the
first year it opened and later Wayne
State University. "I remember the
horse and buggy carts delivering milk
in my neighborhood and my family's
first car, a Studebaker.
"I spent almost three years on the
USS Mitchell destroyer:' said Herb,
who was a lieutenant in the Navy. "I
was an assistant gunnery officer mak-
ing sure that all the weapons were in
good working condition. I also learned
to fly a single-engine aircraft. I feel
very lucky that I was never involved in
combaC
As far as Herb was concerned, the
best part about being in the Navy was
meeting his wife, Dorothy.
"I met the pretty, young lady who
later became my wife at a servicemen's
meeting that was sponsored by the
government;' said Herb, who worked
for the Navy in Washington, D.C., at
the same time his future wife, Dorothy,
worked there for the government.
"Our first date was actually spent in
the dark. Every night, the lights were
blacked out in Washington, D.C. This
was a safety precaution during World
War II to deter any kind of surprise
attack:'
Soon after meeting Dorothy, Herb
was given a 30-day leave, and they
spent every minute of it together.
"When my leave was over, I was just
about to go back to the Navy, and sud-
denly it was announced that the war was
over:' said Herb. "Dorothy and I were
overjoyed! We left that day for Detroit in
my four-door Ford convertible."
Herb and Dorothy had a wonderful
life together traveling and raising their
four children. Herb also enjoyed his
job working as a CPA. "The saddest
part of my life was my wife passing
away:' said Herb, who lost his beloved
Dorothy this past year. They had been
married for 65 years.
"I really like living here at Sunrise
Senior Living in West Bloomfield, and
it is great to have my children and
grandchildren living close by. If I had
my life to do over, I wouldn't change a
thing."
Here's hoping that the rest of Herb's
life will be smooth sailing. 171
Look for "That's Life" columns, showcasing
our community's precious senior citizens,
in future issues of the JN.