Jeff Touched So Many Hearts
When an entire school district closes to allow faculty, staff, and students to attend a funeral, you know the person was someone significant. Jeff Rainey touched so many hearts.
Following his passing in 2023, Jeff’s mother, Janet, and wife, Jill, created the Jeff Rainey Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor Jeff’s memory and his career in education and to support students of Pleasant High School, especially those pursuing a career in teaching. It quickly tripled in size with an outpouring of memorial contributions.
A Marion resident since age 7, Jeff graduated from Pleasant High School and earned his bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from The Ohio State University and certification in library science from Wright State University.
He spent 25 years teaching, beginning at Tri-Rivers where he taught for 10 years; then, at Pleasant, where he taught technology and oversaw the district libraries for 15 years. He was a beloved teacher and member of the staff, most famous for his “brain food” treats of Starbursts and Smarties that he gave to his students on test days.
At age six, Jeff was diagnosed with leukemia, but he never let it get him down or get in his way. He and his dad built and raced soap box derby cars together, winning two championships and, twice, racing in the All-American Soap Box Derby, the most prestigious soap box derby in the world held annually in Akron.
Jeff battled leukemia for 44 years. After multiple relapses, a bone marrow transplant, and another relapse, Jeff beat the disease. In 2007, though, Jeff was diagnosed with a stomach tumor, a side effect of long term leukemia treatments. Throughout, he was a constant encourager and inspiration to all who knew him.
“He missed a lot of school as a child undergoing cancer treatment, and he knew what it was like to struggle and meet challenges,” his wife, Jill, said. “He developed an uncanny amount of patience.”
Pastor Pete Peters of Fulton Creek Friends Church, where the couple attended, said, “Jeff possessed a powerful love of God and people, always having a positive attitude and encouraging word. Even when the cancer caused setbacks in his health, he took it in stride and thanked the Lord for each day.”
Jeff leaves a legacy of strength, courage, tenacity, positivity & faith. He loved teaching and his students, both past and present, and loved being a Pleasant Spartan.
Now, a year after his passing, Jill said she is filled with gratitude for all who have expressed their love for Jeff and she is filled with hope for the future scholarship recipients.
“It takes a passion to be a teacher,” she said. “Jeff was happiest when he could teach something. We hope this scholarship will be a source of inspiration, like he was, and opportunity for students who feel called to the profession.”
Jill is a teacher, too, at North Union High School and has plans to expand the Jeff Rainey Memorial Scholarship to include both Pleasant and North Union students in the future.
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