Torrington, WY (Colyer Funeral Home) November 28th, 2023 — Funeral services for ALLAN EMIL REINKING, 80, will be held 2pm Friday December 1, 2023, at the LaGrange Elementary School with Reverend Richard Gilbert officiating. Burial will follow in the LaGrange Cemetery. Allan passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving morning in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Visitation will be at the funeral home Thursday November 30, 2023, from 3pm to 5pm, and the casket will be open one hour prior to the service. Arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home and condolences may be sent to www.colyerfuneralhome.com
Allan was born September 21, 1943 in Volga, South Dakota, the son of the Reverend and Mrs. Emil and Vivian (Battin) Reinking. As a child, Allan and his family moved to many locations as his father served parishes in South Dakota, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado and Iowa. Suffice it to say, Allan was a typical PK (preacher’s kid) growing up! Trouble was not far behind him and he experienced many childhood adventures in these locations. However, two places that were significant for Allan were Chadron, Nebraska and Phillipsburg, Kansas. In Chadron, Allan attended 4th grade through half of the 9th grade. Allan’s family had close connections with the Alvin Bach family, a farm/ranch family in the community. The Bach’s influenced Allan’s love of farm and ranch. The family then moved to Phillipsburg, Kansas, where Allan finished high school. He was a three-sport athlete, running track and playing basketball and football. His memorable accomplishment was playing quarterback for the Class A State championship football team. After high school Allan attended Dana College, in Nebraska, on a football scholarship.
At Dana College, he met Maureen Bohlken; they married in 1964. Allan and Maureen spent their first year of marriage in Treynor, Iowa, working on the Leonard Timme farm. Throughout this time, Allan wanted to move west. In 1965, the couple made the move to LaGrange, Wyoming, to work on the Bear Creek ranch of Earl Parsons. Five years and many experiences later, Allan and Maureen bought the family ranch above Bear Creek, where they raised their three children Troy, Nikki and Todd.
While growing wheat, cutting hay and raising cattle were Allan’s passions, he also loved to play town team softball as a catcher and town team basketball. In basketball, he couldn’t make layups or free throws. However, it was his deadly outside shot that intimidated team opponents. It is no wonder that his youngest son, Todd, was a gifted shooter from the three-point line. In addition to being a skilled athlete, Allan was an avid hunter. Deer, antelope, elk, moose, geese, ducks, coyotes and most anything legal that moved were on the hunting lineup. He was fortunate to hunt moose and fish in Alaska with Steve Williams and hunt bears in Canada with his friend Ross Woolley. In 2015, he had the opportunity to mark an item off his bucket list and hunt in South Africa. On this excursion he collected eight species of animal. His favorite was the Kudu, which hangs proudly and predominantly in the living room. Over the years, there has not been a surface of the house that has not been covered in one of Allan’s prey, from a bear covering a full wall, a goose over the head of the bed, random waterfowl, and horned animals from two continents. To say Maureen was an understanding wife is an understatement!
Allan was a man of rough exterior and “teddy bear” interior. While he could come across as a gruff farmer/rancher, his family and friends knew him to be the person that would have a quick and witty joke, would help others at a moment’s notice, would save the random kittens on the ranch, and watch with pride as calves raced the pasture in the spring, tails up and flagging the air. He was truly a caretaker of God’s living creatures.
First and foremost, in Allan’s life was his family. It was not uncommon to see Allan and Maureen at every sporting event their children were involved in, traveling many miles to see them play. He taught Troy and Todd to shoot, hunt and farm. He also sat through many a Father’s Day at a 4-H gymkhana for Nikki. Eventually, Allan became a “papa” to three granddaughters and one grandson. He loved them beyond measure and would tell anyone that would listen, what they were doing, or some funny story or statement that they had made.
Allan is survived by his wife of 59 years, Maureen (Bohlken), Lagrange, Wyoming; son Troy Reinking (Jill) of Cheyenne, Wyoming; daughter Nikki Hofmann (Mike) of Billings, Montana; granddaughters, Katie Eckersley, Nicole Weaver, Bailey Hofmann and grandson, Hunter Reinking; and brother Edwin (Elaine) Reinking, sister Rhoda Reinking and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, the Reverend Emil and Vivian Reinking, sister Dorothy Rowe, and son Todd Reinking.
Donations in Allan’s memory can be made to Bear Creek Woman’s Club for upkeep of the Bear Creek Community Building and Church or the Southeast High School FFA.
No services will be held for RYAN LEE NAUENBURG, 42, who passed away at his home November 23, 2023, and cremation has taken place. Ryan was born May 9, 1981. Colyer Funeral Home assisted the family with the cremation arrangements. (A Full Obituary Will Follow)
Services for THELMA MAY VALENTINE, 92, will be held at a later date. Thelma passed away November 26, 2023, at Goshen Healthcare Community and cremation has taken place. Thelma was born May 5, 1931. Colyer Funeral Home assisted the family with the cremation arrangements.
