Lily Alcira Reinersman

Lily Alcira Reinersman, born 28 November 1947 in Lima, Peru, died 20 September 2024 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Growing up in a poor area, Lily’s incredible intelligence and drive to succeed saw her graduate high school at the age of 16, having earned a round trip airplane ticket and a full scholarship to college in the United States. Despite the challenges of earning a science degree without knowing the English words for “beaker” and “pipette”, she succeeded. She met Gerald Reinersman when they both worked the overnight shift in a lab. They married in 1970. Lily worked in a lab while Jerry went to medical school. Following his graduation, she worked as a forensic toxicologist before shifting her focus to drug testing. Jerry’s work with the Public Health Service meant constant relocation. Lily successfully moved 2 children from Kentucky to Maine, and then three children from Maine to Oregon, Alaska, Oklahoma, Utah and finally New York.

Communication was not always a strong suit in the Reinersman family. As newlyweds, Lily and Jerry suffered through months of creamed corn as a dinner side dish before realizing that they both disliked creamed corn, but had been eating it because they thought the other liked it.

Lily loved her family, despite the challenges of being married to a brilliant but somewhat absent minded and messy spouse. Once when she had had enough of Jerry coming home, taking off and draping his tie over any convenient piece of furniture, she decided to take action. She quietly gathered up the ties and waited for him to notice he was out of ties. He never did. He just kept reaching further to the back of his closet for a tie. After weeks of silent and one-sided warfare, he came downstairs wearing a brown and purple paisley monstrosity that was almost wider than it was long. All three kids were shocked into silence. Finally her middle daughter asked “um… are you going to wear that?” Lily was laughing so hard she was crying. She finally explained what was happening. She brought out the bag full of ties. Everybody laughed. Then Jerry went back to draping his ties wherever he happened to be when he took them off.

Lily loved her grandchildren above all else. Each of them in turn was the smartest and most beautiful baby ever born. She enjoyed knitting and watching Korean soap operas. Lily did not enjoy cooking, as anyone who remembers her infamous “curry tuna” dish from the the 80s can attest.

Despite always maintaining that she didn’t like people, everyone who met Lily loved her and wanted to spend time with her. Her witticisms frequently caused everyone to erupt in laughter. When someone once suggested that her oldest daughter date her son’s friend, she immediately exclaimed “Oh no! Matt needs a nice girl!” Following a laughter-filled pause, she added “Not that you aren’t nice.”

Nothing made her happier than a house full of family and friends, eating a good meal that someone else had cooked.

Lily is survived by three children, Anna, Teresa and Eugene, two sons-in-law, Alex and Nic, one daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, and her pride and joy, six grandchildren - Evelyn, Sophia, Lily, Allie, Alasdair and Etta.

Her funeral will be held at St. Pius X Church on Secor Rd. in Scarsdale, NY on 11 October at 10am. Following the ceremony Lily will be laid to rest next to the love of her life in Ferncliff Cemetery. He has been waiting, patient as always, since 2007. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Bloom Flourish Thrive Foundation