By Leslie Gonzalez
Students, friends mourn 'a great guy'
"Pray you don't see me on Monday," history teacher and athletic coach John Rainis told his New Hyde Park Memorial High School co-workers last Friday, hoping that his wife would give birth to their first child over the weekend. But in a sudden and unexpected twist of fate, the long-time Lynbrook resident died early Saturday morning while he was sleeping in his new Islip home. He was only 35 years old.
As memorial services were held Monday and Tuesday at Perry Funeral Home in Lynbrook, hundreds of students, friends, relatives, and personnel from both his hometown of Lynbrook and the New Hyde Park schools quietly waited in line for almost two hours to pay their final respects to a kind and gentle man whose talent for kids left a tremendous impact.
"He was a terrific guy; a friend," said Ron Agostino of Lynbrook, a life-long neighbor to the Rainis family on Berry Street. John Rainis resided in Lynbrook nearly all his life, until last week, when he and his wife Deborah moved into their new home in Islip. Although the couple's first child was expected to be born momentarily, the mood was solemn as Mrs. Rainis greeted those who had traveled for miles to wait in the cold. In analyzing his untimely death, several relatives believe his heart ailment may have been viral in nature. An autopsy will be performed to determine the precise cause of death.
John Rainis attended Lynbrook High School, graduating in 1983. He went on to Cortland State University, returning to Lynbrook after his 1987 graduation where he worked several years as an assistant coach for the high school football and lacrosse teams.
"He came back to us after graduation, and helped us out," recalled Neil Giordano, a Lynbrook Middle School math teacher and junior varsity football coach who once taught and coached Mr. Rainis. "He was just a great guy. He had a good rapport with the kids. We all cared about him."
Mr. Rainis later accepted a teaching position in September, 1996 at New Hyde Park Memorial High School, where he earned his tenure. In addition to teaching Social Studies to grades 8-11, he doubled as an assistant varsity coach for boys' lacrosse and the "Gladiators" football team. In the off season, Coach Rainis set aside his duties as defensive coordinator to supervise athletic events and the school's weight room.
"He made you want to go to class. I had him for two years," stated Chris O'Connor, a student of his American History class. Although fellow faculty members described Mr. Rainis as quiet, most students remember him as a loud, energetic coach and a great teacher.
"He was a great man. He had this saying, 'Rainis is the greatest,'" recalled Anthony Miller, a history student and football player whom Mr. Rainis' coached for the past two years. This year marked Mr. Rainis' sixth season and he was scheduled to take over the reins as boys' varsity lacrosse coach next Spring. Upon news of his death last Saturday, the Sewanhaka School District, which includes New Hyde Park Memorial High School, canceled several athletic events, including the scheduled Nassau Conference III football game between New Hyde Park and Seaford. Instead, hundreds of students, faculty, and parents gathered at the school to share their sorrow.
"All of us have been touched by the gentle strength of Mr. Rainis," stated principal Loretta Nugent in a formal letter released by the high school. "May we now take that strength to help one another."
A student memorial to the late teacher that began Saturday in the New Hyde Park High School gymnasium is overwhelming enough to invoke tears from those who never met John Rainis. Staff, students, family and visitors stop to view the gym's massive dividing wall covered with posters and a lacrosse goal net filled with candles, literature, flowers and a large cross. "Good teacher, better friend," read one, while several listed descriptive acronyms from Rainis' name: Respectful, Awesome, Intelligent, Nice, Incredible, Supportive. Others were addressed to Rainis' unborn child.
A funeral mass was held Wednesday morning at St. Raymond's Roman Catholic Church in East Rockaway, and burial took place at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale. At the request of his family, the Nassau Conference III game was rescheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. George Goldstein, Sewanhaka's Superintendent of Schools summed up the district personnel's feelings about Mr. Rainis as an individual with "a rare touch of human kindness. The loss of someone so exceptional, so beloved and so young is beyond words. God must have needed another angel."
In his honor and memory, school district flags will remain at half staff throughout this week.
