With generosity and heavy machinery, Merced native, 83, spends life helping others
Gary Reinero has never outgrown playing in the dirt.
There aren’t many other places the 83-year old Merced native would rather be than atop a tractor, working a field or orchard. Reinero has spent countless hours working heavy machinery moving earth around, all over Merced county.
As soon as he was able his parents put him to work on the family turkey farm. He started driving trucks and tractors on the farm at a young age. He then spent 30 years leveling land at the family ranch.
He later worked on crews that did dirt work to help prepare many of the roads in north Merced, including parts of M and R streets. He’s also one of the go-to guys many local farmers turn to when they need help preparing their land or orchards.
Reinero has made a huge impact on his hometown and surrounding area during his lifetime: He’s used his vast collection of equipment to help with construction of Merced College’s Stadium ‘76, cleaning up train derailments, working on forest fire crews and clearing some of the heavy material after Barrett Bridge was demolished at Lake McClure.
“He’s real quiet, he doesn’t say a lot, but he’ll do anything for anybody,” said longtime friend Gary Bandoni.
The Sun-Star is putting Reinero in the Local Spotlight because of his decades of contributions to Merced. Local Spotlight is our new feature that celebrates your unsung neighbors for their commitment to community.
“He has an honesty that’s hard to find these days,” said orchard owner Scott Huepel. “When we deep rip for our orchards, we go five feet down to pull out the guts of the trees. A lot of people will tell you they do that, but they’ll try to lift up to go easier on their equipment. Gary says he’ll get everything he can give you. He’s a hard-working guy.”
Reinero has also run his heavy haul business for 50 years, transporting heavy machinery all over the West Coast.
Reinero loves working outdoors. He’s never been someone who wants to be confined in an office. He’s not a suit-and-tie type of guy. His uniform of jeans, work boots and a ball cap fit his style better. It goes with the long gray beard and bushy eyebrows.
There’s something peaceful, almost zen-like for Reinero when he’s working a field on a tractor. He enjoys the solitude.
That’s why he’s still working at 83 years old.
Mechanically gifted
“I like it,” Reinero said. “I like not being bothered. You got a job to do it and you do it. I’ve always loved tractors. It’s the constant noise, the tracks they make, the power. If you want to play, you have to work.”
Playing for Reinero means drag racing. He may spend hours driving a tractor going 1 or 2 miles per hour, but he’s always had passion for drag racing, climbing to speeds of 215 mph.
“I like speed,” Reinero said.
He started racing when he was about 15 years old. He spent a lot of time racing on roads in front of his family’s house. He took it more seriously as time went on, racing his roadster up and down California and the West Coast.
He would still be racing now, but he refuses to pay the price it cost for parts that he needs to fix his car.
Whether it’s working on his race cars or tractors, Reinero has always been mechanically inclined. Many of his friends would bring their trucks or vehicles to his shop for help.
“He’s old school,” Bandoni said. “Basically all the equipment he has was stuff his family used to work the land. It’s all 50 or 60 years old and all his stuff runs. He keeps it up.”
Reinero learned a lot about machines and engines at a young age.
“We had seven tractors, four scrapers, dozers, when one broke down and went to the shop, I’d go with it,” Reinero said. “They would teach me stuff. That’s how I learned.”
Bill Amis was a close friend who would often turn to Reinero for help. Reinero leveled their back pasture when Amis and his wife Cynthia bought a new ranch. Cynthia said she was a little worried when Reinero showed up with this giant scraper to level the field.
“If my husband asked him to do anything he would do it,” Cynthia Amis said. “If he needed something fixed with a car or tractor Gary would help him. He knew all about tractors. My husband thought the world of him. He was a very good friend.”
Parents taught him
Reinero says the willingness to help others probably came from watching his parents. He saw the way they treated the different families who were working and staying on the family ranch.
He saw the way his father was always willing to help friends. That rubbed off on him.
When there were train derailments in Merced County, Reinero offered to help with the clean-up of the freight cars with his heavy machinery. Railroad companies started calling him when they needed help. Reinero says he’s helped out with six train derailments in Merced County.
Reinero was helping with a housing track across from Merced College when he was asked if he could help with the construction of Stadium ‘76. Reinero sloped the banks of the stadium.
When Barrett Bridge was demolished at Lake McClure, Reinero was asked if he wanted some of the iron. When the water receded, Reinero went in there with his equipment and hauled away a section of the bridge. Those heavy beams still sit at his daughter Paula’s home.
That fact that her father has always been someone people can count on and trust doesn’t surprise Paula Reinero-Eirich.
“There’s nothing deceitful in his approach at anything,” she said. “He’s genuine, honest and humble. That breeds likability in somebody.”
Huepel says he almost panicked when he thought Reinero had retired. Reinero had been helping Huepel work his orchards for over 20 years.
“That’s the guy we’re going to call,” Huepel said. “I know he’s in his eighties but you would think he’s in his fifties the way he can swing a sledge or the way he’s out there working when it’s 100 degrees.”
“It’s tough work and he’s always on time and a pleasure to work with,” Huepel added. “He’ll take out the orchards with his dozer. He’s always been there for us. If he says he’s going to be there he’s going to be there. In today’s world his word means everything. All it takes is a handshake.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2023 at 9:12 AM.
