Robert Samuel Rainer, the son of Robert K. and Mary Frances Rainer, was born on January 8, 1894, in the community of Oaky Streak, Butler County, Alabama. He attended school there and in Brantley, where his family lived before moving to their Hickory Grove farm near Opp.
His first work was on that family farm. Then he was employed by R. S. Jeffcoat in his feed and produce business in Luverne and left that work to serve in World War I U. S. Army Artillery Corps in France.
He returned to Opp in 1920 and began to work for J. T. Benson, Sr. in the Furniture Store and in the Funeral Service Business. In 1921, he was married to Mattie Lea Cobb Rainer. They had three daughters: Dorothy Rainer Sellars, Opp, and twin daughters, Alice and Clarice Rainer, Winston-Salem, N. C.
After Mr. Benson retired, Sam Rainer continued his apprenticeship, took an intensive training course, and passed the State Board examination. He then bought the business and established Rainer Funeral Parlor on Main Street, thereby becoming Opp’s first full time funeral director and providing Opp’s first local ambulance and hearse. During his last years of service to Opp, the present Funeral Home was established by its new owners and dedicated to his honor. Highly respected by his profession, he was awarded a lifetime membership in the Alabama Funeral Directors Association.
Sam Rainer was a professional in his business, in civic activities, and in his private life. He was a religious man, one of the early members of the Opp First Methodist Church. He taught a boys’ Sunday School Class, served on the building committee which worked to replace the old wooden structure, served on the Board of Stewards for many years, and was active on many church committees.
He was an active member of the Opp Rotary Club for twenty-five years, and an honorary member for eleven years. He enjoyed the fellowship of his friends and was a living embodiment of the Rotary motto: “Service Above Self.”
He was a patriotic man with a deep love for his country. He was proud of having served in World War I and he valued his Veteran’s affiliation. He would have been pleased with the “Certificate of Appreciation” from President Carter presented to his family at his death.
He was a generous man, giving freely of his money and time, particularly to those children who were affected by distress and need which he knew about better than others. He loved the children of Opp.
Sam Rainer believed in education, strongly supported the Opp schools, and provided his children with the best undergraduate and graduate training and specific professional training.
He was concerned with the democratic process and served on numerous committees — election committees, the rationing board—and he worked at the polls. He stayed well- informed; his “loafers’ bench” downtown and his office were the site of much philosophical discussion, both frivolous and serious.
His death on August 13, 1979, ended a life of service to this community. It is possible that during his years, Sam Rainer touched more lives in Opp and its surrounding area than any other person. In happy times, he took the new babies’ home from the hospitals; in critical times he took their family members for medical attention; in sad times he guided them through the ritual and the pain of losing their loved ones. It is appropriate for his community to praise the name of Sam Rainer, for he believed that a good name was something a man earned and kept on earning all his life. He loved his community and his community loved him. He earned a good name, and he wore it well. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.
