“Hummingbird”
Born in a small village in southern Germany in 1939, Renate Renk Neumann of Reno passed away a few days following her 84th birthday, of Parkinson’s Disease.
Her father, a test pilot, was killed in a plane crash when she was four years old. Her mother, an educator, raised Renate and her brother to adulthood in war-torn Germany. Upon completing high Renate was awarded a university scholarship, earning a degree in art.
In 1962 she migrated to NYC to pursue a career in commercial and fine art, becoming employed as a commercial artist for JCPenney. In 1968 she moved to Reno where she worked as a commercial artist for Doyle & McKenna advertising agency and its client, John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Renate helped design the Nugget’s billboards, menus, and other advertising, featuring its famous elephants, “Bertha & Tina.” She also created commercial art for charitable organizations including Angel Kiss Foundation, Scenic Nevada, and many others. Turning to fine art, Renate joined the Reno Portrait Society, painting many portraits of Renoites, including some who were prominent in business, politics, and education. She also enjoyed painting outdoor landscapes in northern Nevada.
Renate was sworn in as a U.S. citizen on the 4th of July, 1976 – the 200th birthday of our nation. Along the way, Renate earned her Private Pilot’s license from the F.A.A. and flew both powered aircraft and motorless gliders in Northern Nevada.
At Airsailing Gliderport, the Nevada Soaring Association assigned her the bird-call sign “Hummingbird.” See: www.Airsailing.org. Renate also enjoyed skiing, SCUBA diving, racquetball, backpacking, and weekly portrait painting with her fellow Reno Portrait Society artists. Renate and her husband of 54 years, Peter Chase Neumann helped establish and support Reno’s “Angel Kiss” Foundation, which later merged into the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. See: www.nvchildrenscancer.org.
Renate was a gifted artist, who loved – and was loved – by all who were fortunate to know her. A celebration of Renate’s interesting, artistic and productive life will be held at Mountain View Mortuary, 425 Stoker Ave in Reno, on October 7, the first Saturday of October, 2023, at the hour of 10 a.m.
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