Obituary of Wayne R. Reed

WARRENSBURG: Wayne R. “Ralphie” Reed, 64, of River Street, took his final lap and received the checkered flag from God with the command to join his eternal pit crew, early Saturday morning, March 26, 2011 after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born June 29, 1946 in Glens Falls, he was the son of Isabell (Matteson) Reed of Warrensburg and the late Cecil Reed. Wayne was a true hometown boy and star athlete. He played football, basketball, and baseball for Warrensburg Central School throughout his high school years. He was voted All American his senior year and following his graduation in 1965, he enlisted in the United States Marines, serving in the Batman Squadron in DaNang, Vietnam from 1966 to 1969. After honorably serving his country, Wayne returned to his hometown of Warrensburg to raise his family. Wayne worked for and managed a local body shop for 30 years, until taking a job with the Town of Warrensburg. He retired after 15 years of dedication to the town due to his deteriorating health. Wayne was an avid Dirt Track Race fan, making the scene at the Syracuse Fairgrounds for more than 30 years; many of his friends can still be found there in October. He loved the thrill, the sounds radiating off the track, the smell of the dirt, and most of all, being in the pit or a garage owned by a Pennock. He enjoyed painting his cars, beating and banging out the body and its dents, and tweaking the engine; all to watch his finished product take the green flag, only to be found in the pits, celebrating his victory or contemplating what to do for the next race. Wayne was a loving husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and friend. He loved the hometown atmosphere of friends and neighbors lending each other a helping hand. Besides his mother, he leaves behind his earthly pit crew, consisting of his loving wife of 30 years, Joyce (Raymore) of Warrensburg; daughter, Carrie Wilson and her husband, Paul, and their children P.J., Rowyn, Doug, and Nicole of Glenville; sons, Matthew Reed and his wife, Erin of Cohoes, and Eric Reed of Kentucky; daughter, Marcia Reed of Buffalo; mother-in-law, Myrtle Ross of Warrensburg; brothers, William Reed of Florida; Gerald Reed and his wife, Mary Ellen of Warrensburg; Bruce Reed of Warrensburg; Earl Reed and his fiancée, Elaine Gavey of Connecticut; Dale Reed of California; Ed Reed and his wife, Terri of Massachusetts; his sisters, Joan (Monahan)and her husband, Ron of Fort Ann; Ruth McNeill and her companion, Lee Mumblo of Warrensburg; Jodi Lovett of Connecticut; brother-in-law, Mark Ross of Warrensburg; aunts, Mary Sprague and her husband, Chris of Diamond Point, and Anna Baker of Lake George; as well as several nieces, nephews, cousins, coworkers from the town, his racing crew, and many friends. Other than his father, Wayne was predeceased by a brother, Robert Reed; brother-in-law, Michael McNeill; sister-in-law, Bambi (Ross) Reed; nephew, Adam J. “Buzzy” Baker; and his aunt, Ruthie Pasco. Friends may call on Wayne’s family from 3 to 7 pm, Wednesday evening, March 30th at the Alexander-Baker Funeral Home, 3809 Main St., Warrensburg. A service to celebrate his life will follow the visitation at 7 pm at the funeral home. Spring burial with military honors will take place in the Warrensburg Cemetery. Wayne’s family would like to thank Dr. Pillemer, his nurse, Steve, and the rest of the staff at the C.R. Wood Cancer Center at the Glens Falls Hospital; Dr. Nigam and his staff at Albany Medical Center; as well as the Warren County Public Health Nurses; Maureen, Kathy, Neidra, and Lisa for all of the special care they provided during his courageous fight. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations in Wayne’s memory to the Lustgarten Foundation, 1111 Stewart Ave., Bethpage, NY 11714 in hopes to find a cure for this crippling disease. Please visit www.alexanderfh.net for online guestbook, condolences and directions.