Obituary: Walter J. Reid, 94
Walter J. Reid, 94, died Monday, April 15, 2019, at Flaget Memorial Hospital. He was born February 14, 1925 in Norwich, Conn., to the late Mary E. Kearns and Orlo L. Reid. He attended St. Francis High School in Newark, Ohio, where he was awarded a full athletic scholarship to college, the first from that school. He was also the first All Ohio player from that school. He played three years of varsity basketball under Coach John Dromo, who became the head coach at University of Louisville. In his four years of college basketball at Eastern Kentucky University he was coached by Paul McBrayer, former University of Kentucky All American player and the assistant coach under Adolf Rupp.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Maritime Service after basic training by the U.S. Coast Guard. His duty took him to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean Oceans on both troop ships and cargo ships. After WW II he was offered a scholarship to the University of Kentucky by Adolf Rupp and another by Eastern Kentucky University. He entered EKU in 1946 and lettered all four years and graduated in 1950. The Korean War started and he was drafted into the Army Sept. 1, 1950, at Fort Knox. He held seven different ranks in his first 11 months of service in Korea. He received a battlefield commission and left the Army as a 1st Lt. in 1953.
He was hired by St. Francis in 1954 as a teacher and athletic director. In basketball his team won four appearances in Ohio’s sweet sixteen basketball playoffs, many league titles and top 10 rankings. He started 11-man football, golf, and baseball at that school.
In 1967 he accepted a position in the Human Resources Dept. with Rockwell International in Winchester. In 1974 he moved West with his family to work in the Howard Hughes Corp in Las Vegas. After Hughes passed the corporation sold all his casino holdings. He was a Kentucky Colonel, a Kentucky Admiral, past member of the Elks, V.F.W. and American Legion. He was also an instructor for the American Heart Association in Las Vegas. He was also a member of the U.S. Coaches Century Club, the Ohio High School Hall of Fame, has been inducted to his high school Hall of Fame as a player and coach. He was the first inductee to this Hall of Fame chronologically.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Bonnie Ditter Reid; his second wife, Lois Irene Keith Reid; one daughter, Rhonda Reid Marshall; one son, Ryan Reid;
two sisters, Verna Skinner and Marie Reese; and two brothers, Robert T. Reid and Lawrence Reid.
He is survived by one daughter, Rise’ Reid (Tommy) Ballard of Bardstown; two sons, Steven Kearns (Kathy) Reid and Thomas Stewart (LoreLei) Reid, both of Reno, Nev.; 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many cousins and nephews.
A non-ceremonial cremation was chosen and there will be no visitation or funeral services.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home, was in charge of arrangements.
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