Ronald W. Wineinger, 78, of Sedalia, died Friday, Dec. 15. Wineinger was a passionate educator with a 25-year tenure at State Fair Community College. His vision for the performing arts helped form the foundation for today's theater program.
SFCC President Dr. Brent Bates remembered Wineinger as an amazing educator.
“I have heard so many stories from students that were impacted by him in the classroom,” Bates told the Democrat on Tuesday, Dec. 19. “Students that were terrified of speech and ended up having careers in speech, students that had no interest in being on the stage and ended up developing a love for theater.
“He impacted so many students, our community in so many ways. We're really going to miss him,” Bates said. “He was a great listener, and he had an interest in learning about them. He had the ability to make connections very quickly with people no matter where he was, no matter the context.”
Wineinger was a strong leader for the college, and so after his tenure as a faculty member, he continued serving the college as a Board of Trustees member from 2002-20. After retiring from the board, he was granted emeritus status for his service. He was also active nationally with the Association of Community College Trustees as an advocate for community colleges.
“He was passionate about the power of the community college to help people,” Bates said, “and he pursued that passion, not only through his teaching but also through his leadership as a Board of Trustees member.”
Nick La Strada was on the SFCC board with Wineinger and admired him greatly.
“Ron was just a phenomenal person,” Pettis County Clerk La Strada said. “If you ever needed anything, he was always there for you. He was a man that was just full of information, so kind and gentle, and he just cared about the community. He really cared about the college and was a huge mentor for me.”
His theatrical works included numerous outstanding productions. His obituary states that to help share his love for the arts, Wineinger started a student travel program that allowed more than 2,000 students and community members to travel the world to experience the arts and theater.
Anna Walter was in a high school play and had applied for a scholarship at SFCC when she found out Wineinger would be in the audience.
“I had such big nerves just knowing that he was going to be in the audience,” Walter said, “but nailed the performance and a couple weeks later, he reached out to me and gave me a full-ride scholarship to State Fair where I got to know him a lot better.”
There, like many other young actors, Walter was inspired by Wineinger’s love of the theater.
“If you just had just a little bit of passion, just being around him inspired you to want it even more,” Walter said. “You just yearned for more, to be more into the arts because of how passionate he was about it.”
Cliff McBride said he knew Wineinger wasn’t one to be idle for long.
“When Ron retired from teaching, he had some time on his hands and being a veteran, he wanted to help,” McBride said. “Though he could not be a part of the VFW as a member, he could be a part of the auxiliary and the honors team, so in that role, he served several years.”
Wineinger served his country honorably in the U.S. Army from 1969-71 during the Vietnam War. He was a devoted member of the VFW Post 2591 Honor Guard for many years and treated the duty with the respect it deserved.
In 2020, Wineinger told the Democrat he’d attended 1,000 funerals since joining the honor guard in 2022 and he noted that honoring the veteran is what the team is all about.
“That is a very special group of men that support families who have a veteran that dies at a very sensitive time,” McBride said. “Grief is very prevalent when these guys are there and still, they come with the rifles and they play Taps. It’s a ceremony that is very structured and important to the families.”
McBride remembered Wineinger as a man able to draw the best out of people, young and old.
“The kids loved him,” McBride said. “He had them go a step further than they thought they could go. He was really one of those guys who was always a cheerful asset to a table.”
Larry Brooks served with Wineinger on the VFW Honor Guard and knew him as a man of impeccable standards who also had a sense of fun.
“Ron was always straightforward and honest,” Brooks said. “Ron loved to go to the horse races; don't know if he bet on them, I don't have any idea, but he would go to Kentucky and several places around to watch the horse races.”
Wineinger’s sense of duty came first, and he spent countless hours honoring veterans at their funerals.
“I think Ron's kind of like the rest of us, it's just an honor to do something for a veteran that we all deserve and are all eligible to have,” Brooks said. “I don't like doing funerals, but I like doing an honor for one more veteran and I think Ron felt the same way.”
Brooks attended many of Wineinger’s productions at SFCC with his wife and found them delightful.
“We had gone to several of the plays that Ron had produced through the college and they were always very good and fun to go to,” Brooks said.
Sedalia City Councilwoman Rhiannon Foster knew Wineinger’s ability to bring out the best in people and summed up the community’s loss at his passing.
“Ron Wineinger was the absolute epitome of a gentleman,” Foster said. “He saw the best in everyone, he did his best to give his best to everyone and I'm devastated with his loss. I know so many people are. Almost everyone that I've ever spoken to has had a positive story about how he impacted their life.”
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21 at Heckart Funeral Home. Visitation will be from noon until service time. A graveside service with full military honors conducted by VFW Post 2591 and the U.S. Army will be at 3 p.m. at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the SFCC Foundation for the Ron Wineinger Endowed Scholarship.
Arrangements are under the direction of Heckart Funeral Home.
Chris Howell can be reached at 660-530-0146.
