Horst Reil

4/24/1940 — 2/20/2026

• Service Date: 3/21/2026
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Horst Reil, 85, of Lewiston and formerly of Cameron, passed away Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Lewiston.

He was born April 24, 1940, in Edewecht, Germany, the fourth of five children to Johann and Helene Garms Reil. Living his first five years in a country at war and occupied by foreign soldiers provided lots of interesting stories from the perspective of a young child. He shared lots of stories of growing up in northwestern Germany that included walking to school in the snow in wooden shoes, harvesting peat in the fields to burn as fuel for heat and helping his father care for the local cemetery by cutting the grass with a scythe. He completed his formal education at the end of eighth grade, and began working at a nursery/farm nearby. It was there that he earned his driver’s license which gave him an advantage at the nursery and a slightly easier job because he could now drive a tractor on the roads. He also learned how to graft limbs onto trees, a skill that he continued to use, grafting a variety of apples onto one tree. He served his required two years in the German Army, learning the skill of riding a motorcycle as well as a VW Kubelwagen. More than a few have seen the pictures, and likely heard that it had a Porsche engine. He came to the United States in 1961 at 21 years of age to work for his uncle and aunt, Henry and Henny Reil. He worked on their farm for five years before marrying Loeda Meyer on Jan. 6, 1967. He became a U.S. citizen in May of 1967, and was very proud of that accomplishment.

He was an active member of Cameron Lutheran Church. Tradition was very important to this lifelong Lutheran, sharing his German tradition of making an Advent wreath from fir boughs that hung high above the altar. A tradition that has continued for nearly 60 years. He did insist that the candles be red, in the German tradition instead of blue. Who can argue with the one who makes the wreath? Singing in the church choir was the highlight of his church life. Singing by ear, his strong tenor voice added the harmonies to every song he sang. He served on the church council and the church maintenance board. He was the unauthorized “fix-it-guy” around the ridge and helped many family and friends with building, electrical, plumbing and anything else that needed to be done, even the repair of an occasional cuckoo clock. Who could be surprised? He always enjoyed a challenging puzzle and was well known for taking something apart to figure out how it worked, whether to fix it or to recreate it. He could find a way to re-use almost anything and few people knew that the frame for an Advent wreath could be made from a recycled split ring from a truck rim, some copper pipe to hold the candles, and a little gold paint to bring out all of the beauty of Advent.

Horst took pride in their farm and caring for the land. Their garden, trees and cows were well tended with his loving care. He and Loeda received Farmer of the Year for the Nez Perce County Soil Conservation Service and was also a member of the Idaho Wheat Growers local board. He and Loeda enjoyed genealogy and the history of the Kendrick area. They were faithful members of the Kendrick-Juliaetta Senior Meal Site, enjoying visiting with their neighbors and friends every week. They made it a priority to visit all of the family in Germany several times while the girls were growing up and after they retired.

He was well known for his musical talents, playing by ear, both his Hohner button accordion (“squeeze box”) and harmonica. He played German songs on his button accordion for the Hell’s Canyon Home Brewer’s Oktoberfest in Pioneer Park for 25 years. He called his harmonica his “pacifier” and always carried it in his shirt pocket, ready to play a tune anytime it was too quiet or if anyone asked for a song.

Preceding him in death were his brothers Heinrich (Elfriede), Friedrich (Barbel) and his sisters Annelene (Walter) Dost and Karin Oltmer, all of Germany. Sisters-in-law: Margaret (Marvin) Silflow, Dorothy (Fred) Schnaible and Brother-in-Law Ted Meyer.

He is survived by wife Loeda, daughters Karen (Mike) Larson and Heidi Schaefer; grandsons Tyler Larson, Garrett Larson, Max Schaefer and Ben Schaefer and sisters-in-law: Marlene Meyer and Hermina Meyer and brother-in-law Gunther Oltmer and nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews both in Germany and in the U.S.A. who he loved very much.

The service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 21, at Cameron Lutheran Church, 12633 Cameron Road, Kendrick. Cremation has taken place and the burial will take place at Cameron Cemetery later this year when the weather is better.

Suggestions for memorials include Cameron Lutheran Church, the J-K Heritage Foundation or the charity of your choice.

Horst’s family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at both St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and TriState Health and the staff at Brookdale who cared for him.

Service Information

Date & Time

Saturday, March 21, 11:00 AM

Location

Cameron Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Cameron, Idaho 0

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