Mr. Robert Sutton Rainey, age 87, of Redington Shores, FL, passed away on Saturday, June 4, 2022. Robert was born in Columbus, OH on March 13, 1935. He was the son of Franklin and Beatrice Rainey and had three brothers, John, Fred and Rich.
Bob attended Upper Arlington High School in Columbus and played in the orchestra, ran track and cross country and also did swimming until his family moved to San Diego, CA where he graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in 1953. He attended Rennsalaer Polytechnic Institute and studied industrial engineering, ran cross country and pledged Zeta Psi fraternity.
Bob worked at the NASA Michoud facility in New Orleans, LA where the first stage (S-1C) booster of the Apollo moon rocket was being built and later adapted and used for the Saturn V rocket. He met his wife, Judy, there and they were married on February 9, 1964. They had three children Kim, Scott and John and also three grandchildren Kieran, Taryn and Coady and two stepgrandchildren Timmy and Kasey.
The Raineys moved to Florence, AL where Bob worked with TVA as a manager and then Chief of the Industrial Hygiene Branch. He loved fishing and they built a home on the Tennessee River. The children were swimmers and Bob and Judy active in supporting them as meet director, timers and coach. They enjoyed bridge with friends and Bob loved Judy’s cajun cooking.
Bob and Judy travelled when he retired and then moved to Florida in 2001. Bob loved reading, playing the piano, classical music, watching movies and reading the Wall Street Journal and Morning Star reports. He was an avid hiker and loved his pets. Bob suffered a stroke in September 2021 and declined until he passed away at home with Kim and his dog, Darling, by his side.
A celebration of life was held on June 18 with burial in Myrtle Hill Cemetery where Judy is. In lieu of flowers, the family request support for nonprofits he supported. These can be found with photos https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tampa-fl/robert-rainey-10785276.
