THEODORE C. REITER 1925 - 2003

LORENZ, REITER, SNYDER, HOCKING, GRAHAM

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 9/23/2003 at 14:35:15

Theodore C. Reiter

Telegraph Herald - Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Theodore C. "Ted" Reiter, 78, of 2239 Chaney Road, formerly of 863 Clarke Drive, died at 10:45 a.m. Monday, Aug. 11, 2003, at Bethany Home.

Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Inurnment will be in the Johannes Chapel Columbarium at Mount Calvary Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by the American Legion, Dubuque Post 6. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main St., where there will be a parish wake service at 6:30 p.m.

Mr. Reiter was a buyer for the former Sieg Dubuque Co., retiring in 1982 after 23 years of service.

He was born on May 7, 1925, in Dubuque, son of Theodore M. and Gladys (Lorenz) Reiter. He married Imogene Snyder on Jan. 22, 1946, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Dubuque.

He was a proud World War II veteran who enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and spent 3½ years in the service. He served as a radio man, 2nd Class on the USS Santa Fe and saw action from the Aleutian Islands in the South Pacific all the way to Sasebo, Japan, where the surrender papers for northern Japan were signed on the USS Santa Fe. Ted earned these service medals: The Good Conduct Medal, The American Theatre Medal, The Asian Theatre Medal with 14 Bronze Stars, the World War II Victory Medal and Ribbon, USN Unit Citation Ribbon, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon and the Combat Action Ribbon (CAR).

Ted completed high school after his service, graduating from the former Loras Academy and the former Bayless Business College.

Ted was a lifelong member of St. Mary's Parish. He was a 40 year member of the BPOE Elks Club 882, of Galena, Ill., and a member of the USS Santa Fe CL60 Association.

He was a loving husband and father. He enjoyed being a grandfather and great-grandfather. Ted especially loved dancing to big band music. In retirement, he walked daily to keep his diabetes under control. He was affectionately known to his family as "Wotz."

Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Imogene Reiter; a son, Dennis C. (Emily) Reiter, of Gainesville, Ga.; three grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren and six great-grandchildren; a sister, Gloria (Curt) Hocking, of Dubuque; two brothers, Eugene (Marilyn) Reiter, of Dubuque, and Richard (Carol) Reiter, of Menominee Falls, Wis.; a brother-in-law, Clifford Snyder, of Monticello, Iowa; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by two nephews, Chris Allen and Terry Joe Graham; and a sister-in-law, Betty Snyder.

Memorials may be given to Bethany Home, 1005 Lincoln Ave., Dubuque, Iowa 52001 and Hospice of Dubuque, 2255 Kennedy Road, Dubuque, 52002.

The family wishes to especially thank Dr. Kirk Payne and Dr. William Manzel and their staffs, Hospice of Dubuque and Bethany Home for their care and concern for Ted and the family.