Richard Allen Reitz

Richard Allen Reitz (“Dick” to some) passed away peacefully on June 27, 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his loving son by his side, Allen. He was 80 years old. While he, along with his wife Sandy, lived most of his life in Salisbury, NC, Richard was born a Jayhawk from Waterville, Kansas on September 14, 1937. He considered the Jayhawk state his home as well. Born to Margerette and Charles Edward Reitz, Richard was a born student of academia and a consummate linguist. After graduating from Waterville High School, he went to University of Kansas and received his bachelor’s degree in Foreign Language. After proudly serving in the Army for several years, Richard did his post-graduate work at the University of Kentucky and received his Doctorate in Philosophy with a focus on Spanish. He also did stints at the University of North Carolina and taught at the prestigious Virginia Military Institute before settling down in Salisbury, NC as a Spanish and English professor at Catawba College, where he taught for almost 40 years. While he was fluent in the Spanish language, he was also well versed in Portuguese and German. Shortly after starting his tenure at Catawba, Richard met his future wife, Sandy, at a mixer hosted by several academics from the college. At Catawba, Richard was well respected through the halls of this small college. He was chair of the foreign language department for several years and was paramount in building Catawba’s language studies. He was also a lifelong fan of Catawba College Indians football and was a part of the Chiefs club. He supported all sports from Catawba and even helped line the soccer fields when the backfield was being built. In fact, he met his maker while watching World Cup soccer with his son. Richard and Sandy loved to travel especially to Latin-based countries where Richard could communicate freely among the natives and visit off the beaten track locales. He was an avid reader and his home and classroom office held hundreds of volumes relating to all forms of prose in both Spanish and English languages. What most people remember of Richard was his wit, his beautiful singing voice and his charismatic, toothy smile that always brightened a room. Richard loved social events and just enjoyed being present and socializing with his friends. After his wife passed in November of 2017, Richard moved to Boston, Massachusetts to be more close to his son and his family. While he didn’t care much for the cold weather, he enjoyed spending time with his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren and visiting the nearby beaches. Richard is survived by his son, Allen, and two loving grandchildren, Charlie and Emma Reitz. A funeral service will be held at the Catawba College Chapel on Friday, Oct. 5 at 10:00 am. With a burial service immediately following the service at the Veterans Cemetery of Salisbury. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the First United Methodist Church, 217 S. Church Street, Salisbury, NC 28144. Summersett Funeral Home is serving the Reitz family. Online condolences may be made at www.summersettfuneral.com.

Richard Allen Reitz

September 14, 1937 - June 27, 2018