Donut Land founder 'would do anything for anyone'

BRUNSWICK — Eager community service and treating employees like family are just a couple of behaviors loved ones say were typical of Bill Rienerth Sr., who died Thursday after prolonged battles with multiple ailments. The 79-year-old founder of Brunswick's Donut Land, 1321 Pearl Road, leaves behind a business set to remain in the family with operations in the hands of granddaughter Amanda, who also served as Rienerth's primary caregiver in his final years. She said calls forwarding condolences and fond memories of her grandfather have not stopped since his passing. "He would just do anything for anyone," Amanda said. "He was the kindest, most gentle man and the stories that I'm hearing, so many people are calling to say how much he meant to them. There's so many people. You think someone would've been spread thin after a while. He wasn't. He helped out with anything he could." Rienerth and his wife, Carol, opened Donut Land in 1972, putting the establishment on track to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. In addition to baking more than 40 different varieties of doughnuts and treats every day, the business has become one of the area's more popular paczki hubs. Popularity of the Lenten pastry has consistently grown over 16 years since the bakery first made the sweet treats available, welcoming local customers as well as many traveling from Lorain and Cuyahoga counties. Early last year, Rienerth said the bakery sells roughly 10,000 paczki annually between the Friday leading up to Fat Tuesday and the holiday itself. "No matter what was going on around the bakery, he always had time for us and his family," Amanda said. "No matter how busy he or all of us got he always made sure we made time for each other. I'll never forget that." Longtime Donut Land employees' grief was evident as they remembered contributions that Rienerth made to their lives over the years. Chip Coyle worked for Rienerth for more than four decades, a relationship that included Rienerth providing badly needed help to Coyle during his rehabilitation from a 2016 car crash. "I was in a coma," said Coyle. "It was really bad. I was laid up there in the ICU for a pretty long time and then it was on to the nursing home and rehab. When (Rienerth) heard what happened to me, he reached out right away to see what he could do for me and to see if I was OK." "He was just always glowing," he added. "I actually got to go see him last Monday and watch some TV with him. We laughed and got to talk some. Getting to see him like that one last time is something I'm very grateful for. I'm grateful for him." Rienerth walked 32-year employee Marci Steinke down the aisle at her wedding just after the turn of the century. "It's hard to know what to say," she said. "Everyone is just really upset right now. Everyone loved Mr. Bill. He was just a giving person who never came in in a bad mood. It was just the same kind, generous person every day." Mr. Bill, as he was affectionately known among employees, was also a decades-long supporter of the Medina County Special Olympics. Family said Rienerth's close relationship with another granddaughter, Ashley, helped cement those financial and material contributions. "My little sister was born blind and with cerebral palsy," Amanda said of Ashley. "For as long as I can remember, Sundays were always grandpa and granddaughter days. I don't think that ever stopped all the way up until now. He might have needed a helper sometimes in more recent years but he's always been there for her. It's something he always woke up looking forward to." "My grandpa taught me well and I'll miss him," Ashley said. "We all love him." On Dec. 8, Rienerth received the rare honor of becoming a great-great grandfather, Amanda said. "How many people get to say that?" she asked. "Sitting around now I'm so happy he got to experience that. I know I have big shoes to fill now. We all have to fill those shoes. I just wish it was possible for him to be here and help me a little longer." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.