Longtime Henrico Delegate to the Virginia General Assembly John S. “Jack” Reid passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 17th, 2022, at the age of 79. He was surrounded by his family at his bedside. The family requests that in lieu of flowers a donation be considered for the Alpha-1 Foundation www.alpha1.org to research and treat genetic lung diseases. His wife, Judi suffers from Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Jack served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors for many years.
His wife Judi and his children, John and Lisa, will receive visitors next Wednesday evening 7/27/22 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the Bliley Funeral Home at 3801 Augusta Avenue in Richmond, VA. A service to celebrate Jack’s life and decades as a public-school coach, teacher, principal, and legislator will occur next Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 12:00 pm at West End Assembly of God, 401 N. Parham Road in Henrico, VA. Following the service there will be a brief graveside ceremony before his burial in Goochland County.
In 1987, Jack Reid helped elect Jim Gilmore as Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney to launch a political career that ultimately led his friend and fellow Republican to the Virginia Executive Mansion as governor.
Twenty years later, after serving nine terms in the House of Delegates, Mr. Reid called Jimmie Massie, who was working to elect Republicans to office in Virginia and Henrico, to advise him of his plan to retire and urge him to run for his seat representing the 72nd House District.
Mr. Reid, a former principal at Robious Middle School in Chesterfield who died early on July 17 just 15 days shy of his 80th birthday, played a central role in a Republican renaissance to make Virginia a two-party state and promote conservative political values, especially in Henrico.
“Jack was very serious about his faith. He was very serious about his family. He was very serious about educating kids,” Massie said Thursday. “He was very serious about the state of Virginia and Henrico. He was just a great public servant.”
