A funeral service for Butch Reneker and Aaron Reneker was led by Pastor David Kueker of the Kinmundy United Methodist Church on October 23, 2021, at Louisville UMC. Here is a link to the audio recording of that service:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HFSxOqBTuaovw881w1WP9jHVmU1x_z3Q/view?usp=sharing
(Double left-click on the link to listen; right-click, select “Save as …” to download.)
LOUISVILLE – Rev. Clarence Woodrow Reneker, Jr., 74, of Louisville passed away at 9:47 a.m. Thursday, September 2, 2021 at the Clay County Hospital, in Flora.
Clarence Reneker Jr. was born in Camp Hill, PA only son of Clarence and Pearl Reneker. He was called Butch by everyone. While in school he enjoyed history and excelled in wrestling
Upon graduating from high school, Butch entered into military service by joining the United States Air Force. After basic training, he was stationed at Pease AFB, N.H. where he would soon meet his future bride. Susan Wheeler was a student at Manchester University studying to be a legal secretary when they were set up by mutual friends after both had been stood up. Six months later he would ask for her hand and were married in Susan’s hometown of Canaan on March 17, 1967. Two months after, Butch was sent to Sembach AFB, Germany, leaving a new bride to work until she could afford to join him. While stationed there, they bore a son, Aaron on February 4, 1969. They returned to Pease AFB and two years later, Susan gave birth to daughter Andrea at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Butch served his country for 25 years, including 1 ½ years in Vietnam from 1971-1972. He retired from the military at Dyess AFB, TX in 1991. After experiencing retirement for about two years, Butch decided to go into the ministry, having obtained his license to preach while in the military. The family moved to Illinois and Butch became the minister of the Salem United Methodist Church. He continued the ministry for the next 28 years, his last posting being the Louisville UMC only two months prior to his death on 09/02/2021.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Susan, his Mother and Father, Pearl and Clarence Reneker, Mother and Father-in -Law Ruth and Clifton Wheeler and his Grandparents.
Butch is survived by his sister, Sharon Smith (Reneker), Children, Aaron Reneker and Andrea (Jerry) Dawson (Reneker); cousins, Mindy Smith, and Allison Long.
LOUISVILLE – Aaron Reneker, 52, of Louisville passed away at 2:05 p.m. Sunday, September 26, 2021 at the SSM St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia.
On February 3rd, 1969, a young Airman named Clarence “Butch” Reneker and his bride of 2 years, Susan, were anxiously waiting the birth of their first child. Never one to be rushed, they would be made to wait 35 hours before being able to welcome their firstborn son, Aaron Reneker, into the world on February 4th, 1969 at Landstuhl Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany giving Aaron the unique distinction of being born in a foreign country. His parents were stationed at Sembach AFB at the time of his birth. Aaron, being an Air Force Brat, would be very well traveled in the first 17 years of his life being able to say he had lived in Germany three times in his young life. After graduating high school at Ramstein AFB High in Ramstein, Germany, He returned to the United States on his own to attend the University of North Texas where he obtained a Bachelors degree in Library Science. After his Father retired from military service after 25 years and entered the ministry, the family moved to Illinois where Aaron decided to return to school and obtained a Bachelors in Elementary and Secondary Education from Southern Illinois University. He worked in various school systems but chose to leave the education system and moved back home to aid his parents in their day to day lives. The three family members would remain together until the passing of Susan Reneker in May of 2018. After 17 years in Illiopolis, IL, Aaron and his Father would move to Louisville, IL at the behest of the United Methodist Church to pastor their church. At the end of August, they would both test positive for the Corona Virus and the family would lose Clarence Reneker on September 2nd. Aaron entered the hospital 2 days later and after a long 22 day battle, would also succumb to the virus, passing away on September 26, 2021.
Aaron is survived by his only sister, Andrea L. Dawson (Jerry), his paternal Aunt Sharon Smith (Reneker), her children, Mindy Smith and Alison Long and numerous cousins on his Mother’s side. He was preceded in death by his father, Clarence Reneker, Jr., his mother, Susan Reneker (Wheeler) and his grandparents.