Obituary of Alice Reinen

Alice M. Reinen, 99, passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 12, 2022. 

She was born on March 13, 1923, in Madison, WI to Linus and Nora Weisman.  Alice graduated from Sun Prairie (WI) High School in 1941 and shortly after married her forever love, Maurice Reinen, on September 27, 1941.  Together they raised three sons – Dennis, Douglas and Jack.  She loved flowers, gardening, bowling and playing cards with her friends and family.  Her love of playing Euchre and Sheepshead continued after she moved from her and Maurice’s home on Lake Wisconsin to Home Again Assisted Living in Cambridge, WI, where she made many new friends.

She is survived by her son, Douglas, daughters-in-law Patricia and Diana, grandchildren Todd, Jody, Greg, Jennifer, Tara and Scott, four great grandchildren, a sister-in-law, Dorothy (Martin) and her two great grand-puppies.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Maurice, sons Dennis and Jack, daughter-in-law Sherry (Douglas), brother Martin, sister Lucille (Holzhueter) and other family and friends.

Very few people are lucky enough to have someone in their lives that teach them and remind them every day how to truly live their best life.  We were very fortunate and blessed to have that someone in our lives .  Alice Reinen was the single most caring, most selfless, most giving and most loving individual this world has ever seen.  She touched everyone she ever interacted with, whether it was a five-minute conversation or a lifetime.

When you lose someone, you miss them, and you miss the person you were when you were with them.  But you also hope that they’ve rubbed off enough to have made you a better person, a person you want to be to honor their memory and because you’ve witnessed their incredible effect on others.  Everyone she touched in her 99 and a half years wanted to be better because of her. 

Alice was her high school’s salutatorian and had the opportunity to go to college on a scholarship.  When asked why she didn’t go, she responded that she didn’t need to go to college as she already knew what she wanted to be — Maurice’s wife and a mother.  They recently would have celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary.  She’ll now be able to have that dance with her lifetime love, Maurice, to celebrate their love with so many friends and her loving family surrounding them.

We are not quite sure what we are going to do on the first day of our lives without her, but we do know that she gave us the perfect roadmap.  Thank you for every second of your truly unconditional love.  We will love you forever.

A mass will be held on Friday, October 21, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Cambridge.  There will be a visitation prior to the mass starting at 10:00 a.m. at the church.  A private burial will take place at a later date.

Alice and her family would like to thank the staff at Home Again in Cambridge for their loving care and commitment while she made this her home for over seven years as well as the staff at Agrace Hospice for providing support and comfort.  You may make a memorial contribution to Agrace through www.agrace.org/donate or payable to “Agrace Foundation” at 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711.