Denny
J.
Renier
Obituary
Dennis J. Renier, 80, of Crooked Lake in Angola, and formerly of Fort Wayne, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Hospice Care at Parkview Randallia Hospital. Denny was born in Fort Wayne on October 29, 1942 to (the late) Bernard O. and M. Eileen (Gerardot) Renier. He graduated from New Haven High School with the Class of ’61 and in 2019 was inducted into the New Haven Athletic Hall of Fame for his participation in the 1960 Cross Country team. Sports played a huge role throughout his life. Denny proudly served active duty in the US Navy on the USS Dixie during the Vietnam Conflict for 2 years. He met his wife, Joann I (Koch) Renier at New Haven High School where they both attended. They married on May 21, 1966, surrounded by family and friends. Denny began working at Bankers Life and Casualty as an insurance agent that kick-started his over 4-decade career in the insurance industry. His success was rooted in honesty, a caring approach and diligent hard work. His passion for coaching was evident during his 30+ year career as a girls’ basketball coach for St. Henry Catholic School and Bishop Luers High School. He had a winning High School record of 339 wins and 104 losses and contributed to winning 5 State Championships. He made a profound, lifelong positive impact on a great many student athletes. Denny was an excellent and avid golfer who loved playing for $2 bets with his friends, many of whom he had for 3 and 4 decades. Later in his golf career he succeeded in getting a hole in one, a goal he had for a long time. In addition to golf, he also enjoyed living the lake life with his family and friends. Denny bore many titles: husband, dad, Boppy, brother and coach. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Joann Renier and he was very proud of his two daughters, Angie (David) Wagner of Wilkinson IN, and Mindi Renier of Fort Wayne. His biggest fans were his grandchildren, Spencer and Payton Ehle, both of Fort Wayne. He is also survived by his brothers, Ron Renier and Thomas (Ann) Renier, both of New Haven; sister Rita (Ron) Girardot of Fort Wayne and sister-in-law, Kathy Renier of The Villages FL. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Richard Renier. Mass of Christian Resurrection is 11:00am Friday June 2, 2023 in St. Louis Besancon Catholic Church, 15535 Lincoln Hwy. East, New Haven. Burial in Catholic Cemetery with graveside committal service at 2:00pm Friday. Visitation is from 4-7pm Thursday June 1, 2023 at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Bishop Luers High School.
Services
Condolences
When uploading images, please allow the images to fully transfer before submitting form. Image thumbnails will appear below the comment box.
Comment required for image uploads.
20 total images or 20Mb max.
Thinking of you and your family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Our sincere sympathy in the loss of Denny, Dick and Aunt Eileen.
Keeping your family in our thoughts and prayers.
Love,
The Holliday’s, Jim & Wanda, Linda Slattery, Bill & Marcia
Mrs Renier, Angie, Mindi and Family,
I am so sorry for your loss. Mr Renier was always such a fun coach and individual. Always a smile on his face when he would run into me after High School. He would chat as if no time had passed. You all are in my prayers.
I extend my sympathy to the family of Denny. My husband, Bob Busse, was related to Joann Koch Renier,
Denny’s wife. Bob passed away August 2021 of Covid. I remember fun times with the whole Renier family
here in Naples, Florida when they visited us!
Sending my condolences to all of the family. May the pleasant memories help you through the path of grief,
Teddy Busse
Dear Renier family,
I wanted to express my dearest and heartfelt condolences for you all. Coach was such a treasure and is greatly missed by so many lives he touched. He was such a fierce competitor, but so compassionate for his players. I wanted to share my favorite memory that I had with Coach. After hitting the buzz beater at semi-state, Coach came up to me, smiled and said, “It couldn’t have happened to a better player.” I am forever grateful to him in how he molded me as a player and person. I will fondly remember him, smiling with that blue State championship ribbon hanging proudly on his chest. Prayers to you all.
Jess
Thank You Denny for the endless hours of dedication you gave throughout your life in so many ways. What is an indelible memory for me is, by your example and leadership, how you helped everyone and held us accountable toward being our best. You made us all better. You absolutely made an impact in this world and left it a better place for having you in it. You personified character and I’m very grateful to have been considered a friend. You made a difference in many lives in such a positive way. God bless you and take you to His home.
In loving memory of Denny, and love to Joann,Angie,Mindi,Spencer, and Peyton. Thoughts and Prayers.
Our deepest sympathy for the loss of Mr. Renier to his wonderful family Joann, Angie & Mindi. He was truly one of the best coaches and cared so much about not only teaching his players the game but also about how to care for eachother as a team. Mindi thank you for sharing your dad with all of us growing up and for the many memorable visits to your family’s lake home. Keeping your family in our thoughts & prayers.
Love, Jayne A’Hearn & Janeen Close
Denny was a great High School classmate and friend of mine. We shared playing sports at New Haven HS – basketball, baseball, and cross country. He was one of the best all around athletes in our class. He was enjoyable to be around. I have many fond memories of our time together. So very sorry to hear of his passing. Neal Wissman