James Reinertson, 95, of Cedar Rapids, died May 27, 2022, peacefully at home at Stoney Point Meadows. Services were held June 1, 2022, at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids. A private Entombment took place at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Mausoleum. Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home handled the arrangements. 

He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 25, 1927. His parents were A.J.  and Bonnie Wald Reinertson. He attended Slater High School and enjoyed participation in basketball, where he was the leading scorer his senior year. He also played semi-pro baseball and was the league’s leading base stealer. Dr. Reinertson attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, from 1944-1948 majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and History. While at Luther he also lettered in baseball.

Following his Luther graduation, he married Beverly Elaine Sampson on June 6, 1948. Dr. Reinertson then attended the University of North Carolina, receiving a Master of Science degree in Public Health in 1949. He was then employed by Parke Davis & Company in Detroit, Mich., as an Associate Research Parasitologist from 1949-1954. While there he was integral in the development of medications, such as Povan, which have been used worldwide.

From 1954-1956 he was employed by the University of Iowa in the department of Parasitology while he established his Iowa residency. In 1956 he entered the University of Iowa Medical School program. After graduation he completed a general Internship at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Following his internship, he had a two-year Residency in Pediatrics at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1962 he joined Dr. John Downing in his Cedar Rapids Pediatric practice and retired from medicine in 2001. 

Over the years, Dr. Reinertson, was deeply involved with multiple hospital, church and community boards and belonged to many organizations. In his retirement he enjoyed raising seeding vegetables and flowers at the city plots and in later years he would raise them in pots on his back deck. A fond memory for him was the opportunity he had to sing with Naomi Judd, while she was on tour in Cedar Rapids.

Dr. and Mrs. Reinertson had two children, a son Dr. Mark Reinertson ‘71 (Karen) formerly of Cedar Rapids, now in the Minneapolis area, and daughter Marilee Reinertson Torres ‘82 of Cedar Rapids. There are four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Donations may be directed to Camp Courageous, St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church or to any organization advocating for children.