Richard Reeser

To view the Mass of Christian Burial for Dick, please use the link below. The link will be live at 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, 2020. The service will begin at 10 a.m.

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MORTON - Richard “Dick” Reeser, 89, of Morton, passed away on Friday, December 18, 2020, at Reflections Memory Care in Morton.                                                                                    

Dick was born on December 14, 1931, in Goodfield, Ill. on the family farm to William and Emma (Moser) Reeser.

Surviving are his wife, Kay of Morton; his three children, Steve Reeser of East Peoria, Kathy (Steve) Schleyer of West Glacier, Mont., and Jeff Reeser of Groveland; one grandson, Nick Reeser of Morton; sister, Edna Tellkamp of Port Charlotte, Fla; and many nieces and nephews.

Dick was preceded in death by five siblings, Dorothy Aeschliman, Marie Petrosky, William Reeser, Frank Reeser and Linda Waller.

When Dick was 8 years old, the family moved to Congerville, Ill. where his father was a storekeeper and postal clerk.  Dick graduated from Eureka High School in 1951, where he was a four-year letterman in basketball, football, track, and baseball.

He served in the United States Navy from 1952 to 1956 on the USS Dyess Destroyer, where he sailed in the Mediterranean, N. Atlantic, and Caribbean. In the Navy, Dick received training as an electrician.

After the Navy, he was hired at CILCO in 1957.  He met Kay Connell who was also working in the office at CILCO and they were married May 16, 1959, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton.  They were married for 61 years. They raised their three children in East Peoria.

In 1977, he bought property in Carlock with his brother-in-law and sister Bob and Linda Waller.  The property had a pond and they built a cabin. They had family gatherings, wiener roasts, and even had a square dance gathering there. He loved to work on the property, cutting firewood, doing a little farming, and driving the tractor.

In 1991, Dick retired from CILCO. Soon after retiring he and Kay took a trip to Germany with a tour group. This had been a lifelong ambition of his.  During the tour one day, they were able to hire a driver to take them to Luxemburg to see his brother Billy’s grave.  Billy was killed in action in WWII. Also during retirement, Dick would drive for Mike Murphy Ford and Bob Grimm Chevrolet. He loved to drive. He drove for dealerships until 2012.

He and Kay also enjoyed square dancing. They did some traveling for square dancing and ships’ reunions, as well as travel to see their daughter in California. Their last visit to California was in 2011.

Dick and Kay moved to Brandon Wood Retirement Home in Morton in April of 2017. He loved all the music and entertainment at Brandon Wood.  Then they moved to Reflections Memory Care in Morton in December of 2019.

His family would like to thank the staff at Brandon Wood, Reflections, as well as Vitas Hospice.

Dick loved dogs, little kids, music, cookies and ice cream, and his family.  He would help anyone.  He was a good man, a good Dad, and he had a good life.  He will be missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, 2020, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton, 1020 S. First Ave. Social distancing guidelines will be observed during the service and masks are required.  Burial will be at Hillcrest Memory Gardens, 21925 Washington Rd., Morton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.knappjohnson.com.