John Peter Reiss | Service:
Friday, September 26, 2008
3:00 PM
St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church
Essex Center
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| | | John Peter Reiss, 73, long-time Saint Michael’s College English Professor, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. He died in his wife Sheila’s arms.
He was born on May 12, 1935 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, son of John Peter Reiss II and Ruth (Wheeler) Reiss.
He attended Stanford University, where he played on the freshman football team and competed on the alpine ski team, and received his baccalaureate degree in 1958 from the University of Notre Dame, where he was the 1956 middle-weight boxing champion. He received his PhD. from the University of Wisconsin in 1969.
John was a highly respected professor of both English and American Literature for 34 years at Saint Michael’s, earning the college teaching award in 1998.
John was a devout Catholic and was devoted to his family.
He leaves his loving wife and best friend, Sheila (Finst) Reiss, and was the beloved father of seven children and their families: Joan and Steven Wry and their daughters Heather, Rachel, and Erin of Underhill; Virginia Reiss and Phil Woolever and their daughter Valentine of Tucson, AZ; Connie and Will Esmay and their daughters Sylvia and Ava of Underhill; Christina Reiss and Kevin Hastings and their daughters Mia and Lily Schulz and Tess Hastings of Essex; John Peter Reiss IV of Burlington; James Reiss and his daughter Kendall and son Kyle of Chicago; and Katherine and Paul Brunelle and their sons Jay and Max of Milford, CT. John also leaves three sisters and one brother: Mary Klauck of Rapid City, South Dakota, and Peter Reiss, Ruth Kosednar and Catherine McDonagh, all of Scottsdale, AZ, and many nieces and nephews.
A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Sept. 26 at 3:00pm in St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church, Essex Center. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family. There will be no visiting hours. For those who wish, donations in John’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1818, Memphis, TN 38101. Arrangements are in the care of the Ready Funeral and Cremation Service, Mountain View Chapel, 68 Pinecrest Drive, Essex Jct. To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.readyfuneral.com
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