Memorial to Dana J. Reinke

A Memorial to Dana J. Reinke

It is with much sadness that we mark the passing of Dana J. Reinke, our friend and founder of Danar Corporation. He died on Thursday, August 14th, 1997 at the age of 49, following a far too brief battle with cancer.

Survived by his loving and admiring family: wife of 28 years, Carla; daughter Marika, and son Dakota, his mother Lois Reinke, Sisters Carlene Botkin and Laurie Reinke and brother Gary Reinke.

Dana graduated from Hoover High School, San Diego in 1966, 10th in his class. He completed 6 years in the Navy, attending nuclear power school and working on submarines. He earned his engineering degree Magna Cum Laude from the University of Washington in 1978. He worked as a reactor engineer at Aerojet General, a systems engineer at IBM, a principal engineer at GLI, director of engineering at Pacific Western Engineering, and VP of Engineering at Telcom Design International.

He founded Danar Corporation in 1986 and built it into the fun, well respected and thriving business it is today.

He lived his live with integrity, joy, and a keen sense of love for the family and responsiblity to those who worked for him. He fought hard to live during the last four months of his life, choosing not to use any medical treatment, but a very personal regimen.

If you would like to contribute a story or a memory about Dana to share with the world, please send it to: danar@danar.com We will post the stories to this page as we receive them.

Memories of Dana:

DANA (Live On)
by Dakota James Reinke

What do I say to my mom when my dad's dying?
The only words I got come out as I'm crying.
Wrapped in her arms and it's never been so comforting, and disturbing,
At the same time all I know is I'm hurting.
Worrying, wondering, things will never be the same.
How will they change? How will I relieve the Pain?
Receive the strife he always wanted me to gain of,
self motivation to success his name is Dana.
My kids will only think of a great man as my dad.
I wanted him to be the grampa I never had.
He touched the lives of so many that he knew.
Even all my friends thought he was cool...
for a dad. So many never had such a man.
The only one I have has to leave early?! Damn!
I'll never forget all he did I testify. So much of me will die with him.
I saw a real man cry... and cried with him.

Chorus:
Live twice in memory, look over your family,
If it's too hard do it for me.
Pull the clouds back and shine, Now is your time.
This song has to end like life.

The most unexpected words how do I answer,
when my mom tells me dad has terminal cancer?
Life expectancy... Weeks
there went all forms of speech.
I feel weak. How's this supposed to make me stronger,
when that voice keeping me going is no longer?
Can I conquer stress, finish all he has left?
Be at my best to impress him to his last breath?
His death may be the only reason I ever pray,
just in case. I don't want these tears to go to waste.
Sometimes I find myself talking like he's already dead.
Watching him asleep in bed expecting wings to spread.
Accepting the truth, it hurts it's so cold.
I barely realized that he was growing old.
Life is so short. If there is an afterlife,
please go let this angel fly high.

Chorus

Lost in a world of loneliness, loss of an essence,
remembering the last time I was blessed with his presence.
He told me the story of his life at my age.
Thought he didn't need anything so he gave it all away.
Nothing to his name but some books and a sleeping bag.
Lived in a golden gate park eating out of garbage cans.
Everything but his clothes were stolen. He was rolling over
one night when he had a moment.
Realized there is so many things that could bring happiness.
Remember all those times I just blew off success.
The next day he enlisted. Poverty he thanked and kissed it.
Made it through six years and he was happy being gifted.
Got educated at the University as late as thirty.
Married his High school sweetheart and got working.
Still married to the same woman, he got to watch his kids
grow up through most of the parenting he could give.
Self employed owning an ever-growing business.
He had so much and it will all miss him.
If that's not a success story I don't know why it isn't.
Give this man a round of kisses.

Chorus.

I See An Angel
by Marika Ann Reinke

I see an angel in my dreams
He sits besides me burning gold.
He smiles,
wrinkles spread from the corners of his eyes,
like giggling rivers across his face.

He tells me with an unseen hand
and shows me with an unfelt tug.

I see my dad sitting there,
smiling across the distance between us.
He finds his place inside my soul.
He fits perfectly.

August 19, 1997

Dear Carla, Marika, and Dakota,

I had the privilege, the excitement, and the joy of knowing Dana for the past three and one-half years. I am very saddened by the news of his passing, and wish to extend my sincere condolences to all of you. I regret not being able to tell you in person about my feelings for Dana, but I will try to put them in writing.

Dana and I became acquainted through a blind telephone call I made in January 1994. 1 found the phone number for Danar Corp. in a rather obscure catalog. At the time, it seemed unlikely that this would lead anywhere, but I was desperate enough to give it a try. Dana answered the phone and I explained the technical problem that I wanted to solve. To my amazement, Dana had exactly what I needed. This was the be of a successful business relationship and also the beginning of a cherished friendship.

I got to know Dana through our frequent telephone calls and through the several trips we made together. The first thing I learned about Dana was that he was an extremely talented engineer, one of the best I've ever known. I was not the only one to see this. When I checked his references before beginning our initial project, the praise he received was uncanny. For example, a telephone company project manager from New Zealand told me that he did not think there was another person on earth who could have accomplished what Dana had done for him.

Together, Dana and I "battled" the telephone giants, first AT&T and then British Telecom. We developed products that had to undergo rigorous testing in order to be approved. The testing was the reason for our trips. Dana's performance on these trips was astounding. At AT&T we set the record for least time needed to pass the test. At British Telecom, the tests were shown to be faulty and Dana, along with Donghwan, rewrote them on the spot and passed. These trips were great adventures for us both and great victories for Dana.

Our conversations were not all business. We talked about our families, our experiences, and our lifestyles. From these conversations, I know that Dana was devoted to his family. He worked extremely hard, but often talked about keeping a balance in his life. He spoke about each of you with great pride and affection.

Dana called me some months ago to tell me that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that he did not have long to live. I was stunned and, for the moment, speechless. Before I could respond, Dana asked me not to feel sorry for him. He said that he had lived a full life, indeed, a wonderful life. He said that he had enjoyed the love of his family and that he had the satisfaction of knowing he had conducted his life with honesty and integrity.

I will miss Dana tremendously. I will have only the best memories of him.

Sincerely, Jerry Stern

When we worked on the CDUP job for Telecom New Zealand, Dana promised me that when the last payment of the contract was delivered he would give me a bonus for its completion. About three months after we finished the job and before the payment arrived, he had to lay me off due to lack of work. I went back to work for Pacific Avionics in the meantime, hoping that another contract would be awarded soon from New Zealand and that I could come back to work with him.

CDUP was a lot of fun and quite a learning experience as well. It was the first SS7 work we had done and was a real adventure. Fortunately, Dana had the savvy and smarts to pull it all together. I just did what he told me. Funny enough, he said that by the end of the month we spent in Wellington during the installation trip it got to point that were yelling at each other. We worked pretty hard on that trip and I suppose tempers got a little short. I don't actually remember that part.

What I do remember is that when the last contract payment arrived and I was at Pacific Avionics working as a contractor, Dana gave me the bonus he promised. Pretty unheard of when you consider that I wasn't his employee any more. If there was one thing you could count on with him, it was his integrity - if he said he was going to do something, he would do it.

Sorry this went on so long. But as I'm writing this I'm smiling about what I remember of Dana - it feels good to smile that way.

Joseph

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