Bob Reinhardt died Sunday, February 20, 2011, at Tift Regional Medical Center.
He was born in Sycamore on September 9, 1927 to Robert E. and Maggie Branch Reinhardt. After attending public schools in Sycamore and service in the United States Army Air Corps, he attended North Georgia College and the University of Georgia, where he received his law degree in 1952. While at Georgia, he was Commander of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council and a member of the Sphinx society.
He founded the law firm now known as Reinhardt, Whitley, Summerlin and Pittman in Tifton in 1952. He practiced as senior partner of that firm for 59 years, during which time he served as President of the Tifton Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia, and received the first Tradition of Excellence Award conferred by the State Bar of Georgia for General Practice. His commitment to the practicing Bar included service on the Board of Governors of the State Bar, Georgia Board of Bar Examiners, Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission and the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission. He was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
A strong supporter of the University of Georgia, he served as Trustee of the UGA Foundation and paid tuition to that institution for three (3) sons for nineteen (19) consecutive years. He served as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the University of Georgia Law School and received its Distinguished Service Award.
He loved and promoted Tifton through years of service on the Tift County Development Authority (charter member), Tift County Hospital Authority, ABAC Foundation, Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce (President), Forward Tifton, Tifton Rotary Club (President) and other local organizations.
He was an active member of Tifton’s First United Methodist Church, having served in many capacities, including Chairman of its Administrative Board, member of the Finance Committee, delegate to the South Georgia Conference and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Magnolia Manor.
He is survived by his childhood sweetheart and wife of sixty one (61) years, Mary John Rodgers Reinhardt; three sons, Rob (Susan), John (Kathy) and Bill (Lisa) Reinhardt; eight grandchildren, Maree, George, John Paul, Elizabeth, Sam, Will, Charlie and Georgia Reinhardt; one sister, Janette Reinhardt Phelps and one brother, William D. Reinhardt (Betsy). He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Rosemary Reinhardt Bickley.
Memorial services will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Tifton at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 24, 2011, with visitation to follow in the church social hall. The body will be placed in the church one hour prior to the service.
Pallbearers will be grandsons and Dr. Joel Johnson. Honorary pallbearers will be Irvin Branch Jr., Ellis Brown, Lanier Carson, Ken Hall Sr., Jake Herring, Ray Jensen, Larry Lamb, Frank McGill, Melvin Merrill, Ed Moore, Gibbs Patrick, Dale Pflug, Jones Ponder, Jordan Short, Sandy Sims, Alex Sumner, Bill Vance, Glenn Whitley Hank Pittman, Ross Pittman, Karen Summerlin and Pait Willis, together with members of the Tifton Bar Association and the Tifton Rotary Club.
Memorials may be sent to the First United Methodist Church of Tifton, 107 West 12th Street, Tifton, GA 31794; the ABAC Foundation, 2802 Moore Highway, Tifton, GA 31794; or the Tift Regional Hospital Foundation, P. O. Box 747, Tifton, GA 31793.