Requiescat In Pace, Denise Mansfield-Reinking

Anaheim Union High School District Trustee Denise Mansfield-Reinking died this morning of a heart attack. She was 52, and had been re-elected to a second term as trustee in November 2006.

Our condolences go out to her family and friends.

Following is her obituary from the AUHSD:

Mrs. Denise Mansfield-Reinking, a member of the AUHSD Board of Trustees, passed away Tuesday morning of a heart attack. She was 52.

Mrs. Mansfield Reinking, a Cypress resident, was in her fifth year of service on the board, having been re-elected to the post in 2002.

“Mrs. Reinking was a hard-working board member who actively supported a number of important causes and programs,” said Superintendent Joseph Farley. “Our condolences go to her husband, David, and her son, Jonathan.

Services are pending.

Mrs. Mansfield-Reinking  took her role as a public servant seriously. She considered herself a “mom” to the 35,000 students in the district. “This is my family, and that’s the way I look at it,” she said recently. “I’m so proud of the kids and of this district.”

Mrs. Mansfield-Reinking was also proud of the fact that she came up through the PTA ranks while raising her son as a single parent for 12 years. The association with the PTA was her touchstone as a board member. In addition, her association with the California Association of Activities Directors and the Anaheim Prep Sports/Activities Foundation  strengthened her belief that schools are partners in helping to keep students healthy, strong, active and out of trouble.

Another source of personal pride for Mrs. Mansfield-Reinking was the AUHSD Clothes Closet, which she established to provide free formal wear for students to attend prom. Last year, the Clothes Closet served 100 students and this year expects to serve as many.

Mrs. Mansfield-Reinking was a strong proponent of career technology education, and welcomed the renewed emphasis being placed on the topic statewide. She also believed that No Child Left Behind should be reworked to find a better way to deal with the issue of testing special education students.

Mrs. Mansfield-Reinking received Women of the Year distinction in 1995 from the California State Senate, a Distinguished Service Award from the Association of School Administrators and an Honorary Service Award from the Third District PTA. She also served as flood relief coordinator in Sacramento in 1995, and was instrumental in getting a $500,000 grant for a children’s health center in Northern California.

She served on the Rio Lindo School District Board of Trustees from 1994-1996, and was a board member of the California State PTA. She had served on the Special Education Board of Greater Anaheim since 2002, and on the board of the Orange County Athletic Directors Association since 2005. She also was elected to a two-year term on the Republican Central Committee in 2006.

Mrs. Mansfield-Reinking’s community activities included serving as a Special Olympics volunteer, Little League coach, Cub Scout leader, youth soccer team mom, chairwoman of the School Site Council at Hillsdale Elementary School and PTA unit president twice.

She attended John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills and the nursing program at Santa Monica College and UCLA. As a licensed nurse, she had worked at UCLA and Santa Monica Hospital and with various doctors in the region.

Mrs. Reinking’s family includes her husband David, a workers’ compensation supervisor, and son Jonathan C.B. Mansfield, a Cypress High School graduate who recently received his bachelor’s degree and works as a national account executive for Oakley.

Comments

[Dave & Jana Jenkins]

We have known Denise for many years, and it's true; she was truly devoted to the children of her district and the taxpayers as well. With no political aspirations, she worked hard to make our world a better place. You will be missed!

[Sarah Moorlach]

She was such a sweet-heart woman. Prayers to her family and friends!