Reiner Junge

Reiner Junge, age 69, of El Paso Texas, passed away, Tuesday, September 26, 2023. He was born to Kurt and Helga Junge on October 20, 1953 in Eime Germany, a small village 20 miles south of Hanover. He served in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) as an English Translator. He was assigned to the German Air Force at Fort Bliss in 1975. Reiner fell in love with El Paso so when he retired from the German Luftwaffe he became a permanent resident of El Paso. Reiner began working for Western Technical Institute as an electronics instructor in the early 80’s, but soon was running the department. Reiner stayed with Western Technical Institute until 1993 when a position opened at El Paso Electric Co. Reiner was hired as an electronics specialist in the power generation plants where he worked until his retirement in 2017. Reiner became a U.S. citizen in early 2002. Reiner loved the outdoors, from the earlier days of chasing weather balloons in his jeep to scenic adventures during his travels with his mom and brother. He loved to take in the beauty that Mother Nature provided. He was very fond of his puppies and bird watching became a favorite pastime in his backyard high above the landscape of neighboring Mexico. He was deeply involved in Amateur Radio in Germany. One of the many things he did was helping to design and build antennas for the early AMSAT satellites. This led to a lifelong love of high-altitude balloon and satellite communications. He became a U.S. licensed Amateur Radio Operator in 2007. Reiner was active in high-altitude balloon chasing, Satellite Communications, and QCWA until his passing. Reiner is survived by his wife Melodee Junge, his son Peter Junge, and his step children Dawn Moore, Dale Peterson, Malissa Anaya, and Tiffany Braus, his brother Klaus and his brother’s girlfriend Uli, and his 9 grandchildren. In lieu of church services his ashes will be spread on Mt. Franklin. Date/time to be determined. When date is established, those wishing to attend are welcome. A Celebration of Life event, will also be arranged, location to be determined and details to be emailed to family and friends.