Sadly, KC2NAP passed away on the morning of Saturday February 5, 2005. Lanny was excited about achieving his dream of becoming a ham radio operator after retiring as an airplane pilot. Eventhough he was wheelchair bound, he was able to visit with many new friends through the power of ham radio. His wife Alicia is grateful for all of those who befriended her husband in his new hobby. He will be missed by all who got to know him.
KC2NAP, Lanny Reinish of Staten Island had passed away last Saturday. I first met Lanny on 2m back in July of 04 and he was quite a character. He led a full and exciting life and told some of his tales on many of the machines he frequented.
Being homebound and handicapped, Lanny took up Ham Radio to make friends and chat. He took a great interest in this hobby and began to expand his station in the few short months he was operating. Whenever I gave out my call on some silent repeater, Lanny would chime in and keep me company on my way to or from work..
Lanny also enjoyed Echolink and listening to old time radio rebroadcasts on Sirius radio. I heard Lanny on the radio the day he passed, he was telling his stories and yacking it up and signed for the last time to relax for a while. Lanny we will miss you on 2m/440.. May this letter find you and find you well. Regards.. Richy N2ZD
Below is a reprint of Lanny's obit:
Lanny Reinish, 67, of Graniteville, a model builder and retired service manager, died Saturday at home.
Born in Manhattan, he was brought to Brooklyn as a child. He moved to Graniteville in 1987. Mr. Reinish graduated from Brooklyn Automotive School in 1955.
He was a service manager for a Ford dealership in Queens for 25 years, leaving in 1998. He then worked as a bus driver for Atlantic Express for two years, retiring in 2000
Upon receiving his pilot's license in 1965, he worked concurrently as a private charter air pilot.
Mr. Reinish also used his license to romance his wife of 30 years, the former Alicia Millstein.
"On our first date I flew her out to Boston for a lobster dinner and I wasn't able to get rid of her from then on," he said in a 2003 Advance interview.
Later he would fly Mrs. Reinish to vacation spots such as the Bahamas.
As a young man, he was a racecar driver, traveling to various regional racetracks on the stock-car circuit.
A member of the Brooklyn Plastic Model Society, Mr. Reinish's passion was model building. He crafted replicas of boats, airplanes and cars for the likes of award-winning film director Robert Altman and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, according to his family.
He won more than 75 trophies from various contests, including those sponsored by Brownie's Pro & Sport Hobbies, Port Richmond.
Mr. Reinish also was a recreational boater, a deep-sea fisherman, and a former member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
He recently had received his amateur HAM radio license.
"The guys I went to school with envy me because I lived my life the way I wanted to live it," Mr. Reinish said in the 2003 interview in the Advance.
In addition to his wife, Alicia, surviving are his son, Peter; two brothers, Hal and Shelly Reinish, and two grandchildren.
Reprinted from the Staten Island Advance.. N2ZD