Patricia A. Reinke

Patricia Ann Reinke (Baumer), of Flourtown, passed away on July 16th at the age of 81.

Pat was happiest when she was bringing joy to others. Whether sharing her homemade baked goods with friends at Halligan's, empowering young women with her beloved Girl Scouts or decking out her home for every holiday to delight neighborhood children, she enriched the lives of everyone she touched.

Born on January 29, 1944, in St. Mary's, Pennsylvania to Joseph and Anna (Skok) Baumer, Pat graduated from St. Mary's Central High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in special education, with a focus on teaching deaf students, from Penn State University in 1965. She also pursued post-graduate studies at Gallaudet University.

After college, Pat moved to Philadelphia and began her teaching career at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. On April 26, 1969, she married Maynard Ray Reinke. They started a family in 1970 with the birth of daughter Elizabeth Ann, followed by son Chris Alan in 1973.

In the late 1970s, Pat began working at the Friendly's restaurant on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown. Here, for over a decade, she treated customers like family and became a fixture in many of their daily breakfast routines.

Around the same time, Pat's lifelong passion for the Girl Scouts began when her daughter joined as a Brownie. As a troop leader, she mentored countless girls, many of whom remained close to her throughout their lives. She later worked at the Girl Scout shop at Shelly Ridge in Lafayette Hill for more than 15 years before retiring in 2008.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Maynard Ray Reinke in 2017. She is survived by her children, Elizabeth Ann Candelore (Reinke) and Chris Alan Reinke; her siblings Jeanette Lee Donachy (Baumer), Michael Joseph Baumer, Mary Elizabeth Scone (Baumer), Christine Marie Shreffler (Baumer) and Pauline Marie Cleaver (Baumer); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and seven dog and cat "grandchildren."

She cherished visits to her hometown of St. Mary's, where she never missed a good fish fry from DeLullo's or a competitive round of BINGO with her sisters. In her later years, she found joy in afternoons spent with friends at Halligan's Irish Pub.

Pat's generosity knew no bounds-whether it was a loaf of homemade zucchini bread, her famous ranger cookies, candied pecans or a hand-knitted blanket, she gave from the heart. Her warmth and kindness are deeply missed.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 26th at John F. Murray Funeral Home, 1220 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown. Visitation begins at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 a.m. A luncheon will be held at Halligan's Irish Pub in Flourtown following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pat's memory to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, 330 Manor Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 or online at gsep.org/donate.