Former Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department Director Dennis Rainier passed away around 8:15 Monday night (12/26/2011) at Vanderbilt Medical Center. As you recall, he had been battling a rare blood disease that surfaced during a vacation a couple of months ago while vacationing with his wife Nancy in Florida. 

Rainier started working for the parks and rec department in 1971. Then, there were only two employees, Rainier and Ray Duffy. Today, there are over 70 full time employees and more than 1,000 acres of park land in Murfreesboro. Rainier was named the director of the department in 1980 and retired in 2008, after devoting almost 38-years to improving our city's parks. His dedication to helping young people continued, when he was elected to serve on the Murfreesboro City School Board in 2010.

The 64-year old community leader had been fighting hemophagocytic lymphohisticytosis since October. The disease is a build-up of white blood cells that eventually destroy other blood cells. 

The community called WGNS to give tributes to Dennis Rainier

Former State Representative Mike Liles remembers Dennis Rainier . . .

Retired MTSU professor Dr. McClellan had Dennis in one of his first classes back in 1970 . . .

Dennis Rainier gave so many persons an opportunity to excell. Parks' Recreation Superintendant Nate Williams shares his personal story . . .

Another school board member, Butch Campbell, shares memories of their longtime friend Dennis Rainier . . .

Funeral Arrangements

Funeral service will be 11:00am Saturday at Woodfin Funeral Chapel, Murfreesboro. Pastor Carl Wenck will officiate. Burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be from 4:00 until 7:00pm Friday at Woodfin Funeral Chapel,

Family

He is survived by his wife, Nancy Bassett Rainier, sons, Ryan Bassett, Brad (Amanda) Rainier, all of Murfreesboro, daughter, Heather Bassett of Playa Del Rey, CA, and two grandchildren, Madison and Jackson Rainier.

Achievements

Mr. Rainier was a member of Grace Lutheran Church. He received his BS and Masters Degree from MTSU and taught one year at Hobgood Elementary School before joining Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department where he spent thirty seven and a half years. He was the Director of Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation for twenty eight years before his retirement.

Some of his projects with the Parks and Recreation Department included SportsCom, StarPlex, Richard Siegel Championship Soccer Complex, Barfield Cresent Park, Patterson Park Community Center, Kids’ Castle at Old Fort Park, Bark Park, and the Greenways.

Dennis was awarded a lifetime membership in the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association for his contributions.

Mr. Rainier was elected to the Murfreesboro City School Board in 2010 and was currently serving his first four year term. Memorials may be made to the Dennis Rainier Memorial Funds at the Murfreesboro City School System or the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department.