"Butch" Renninger passed away

MIFFLINTOWN -- Howard D. "Butch" Renninger Jr., 62, of RR 5 Mifflintown died Saturday, May 1, 2004, of natural causes, after completing the Enduro feature at the Port Royal Speedway.

Born May 3, 1941, in Walker Township, Juniata County, he was the son of the late Howard D. "Buzz" and Virginia W. (Jones) Renninger Jr. He is survived by his wife, Carol A. (Vogel) Renninger, whom he married Dec. 21, 1963.

Also surviving are: three daughters, Wendi J. Cohenour and her husband, Kenton, Mifflintown, Heidi R. Kauffman and her husband, Johann, RR 2 Port Royal, and Holly R. Brenneman, Mifflintown; five sisters, Shirley T. Groce, Mifflintown, Helen A. "Sis" Leach, RR 3 Mifflintown, Patricia L. Renninger, RR 5 Mifflintown, Donna M. Gray, Mifflintown, V. Sue Pontius, RR 2 Millerstown; and four grandchildren, Dustin Cohenour, Trent Brenneman, Shanna Hart and Devin Hart.

He was preceded in death by one son, in infancy, Howard Douglas Renninger.

He was retired as the owner and operator of H.D. Renninger and Son Garage, RR 5 Mifflintown, and Renninger Concessions at the Port Royal Speedway.

He was a member of the Mexico United Methodist Church in Mexico, Union Lodge 324, F&AM in Mifflintown, the Harrisburg Consistory AASR, Juniata Valley Forest No. 88 Tall Cedars, Millerstown Moose Lodge No. 925, James E. Bowen AmVets in Thompsontown, Mechanicsburg Men's Club, Port Royal Lions Club, and the Board of Directors of the Juniata County Agricultural Society.

He loved camping, racing of any kind, spending time with his family and being a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

During the 1960s, he was a stunt car driver for the "Jack Kochman Thrill Show," and he was a decorated driver at the Port Royal Speedway, having won the track championship in the Late/Limited Late Model Division in 1966, 1967 and 1970, and in the Enduro Division in 2003. He also placed fourth "all time" with 41 Late/Limited Late Model feature wins and second "all time" with four Enduro feature wins.

Funeral services will be held at 10:33 a.m. Thursday, May 6, 2004, from the Mifflintown Chapel of Brown Funeral Homes Inc., 100 Bridge St., Mifflintown, with the Pastor Barbara Inch and Pastor Louise Knotts officiating. Interment will follow in the St. Stephen's Cemetery, RR 3 Mifflintown.

A viewing will be held from noon until 9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the family present from 6-9 p.m.. His lodge will conduct Masonic Services at 8:45 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Port Royal Speedway Kids Night, c/o First National Bank of Mifflintown, P.O. Box 96, Mifflintown, PA 17059, or to the American Heart Association, 501 Howard Ave., Bldg. D, Suite 101, Altoona, PA 16601.

-prs-