Casey James Reece, of Blacksburg, died unexpectedly Monday, May 13, 2024. He was 37.
Casey attended Giles High School and grew up in Newport, Va. Upon graduation, he went to Nashville Auto Diesel College to complete his welding degree. While he enjoyed welding, he later obtained his Master’s Plumbing license. Casey was a man of many talents and always willing to help a friend.
In his youth, friends would come over to find Casey outfitted completely in a ghillie suit, pretending to be in the marines. When playing outside, he often found the closest creek and would spend hours happily overturning rocks to find the creatures hidden beneath. His bedroom contained aquariums filled with some of those creatures, from snakes to frogs to turtles and more. As he grew up, Casey’s love for the outdoors grew too, and he spent many days kayaking the New River and finding treasures of lost river belongings. When not on the river, he loved using his hands to fix things and create art with metal. He adored riding through the mountains, spending the day at Potts Creek, and then equally enjoyed fixing what he had broken on his four-wheeling adventures. He always brought a smile with him into every room, and it was usually accompanied by a short, sweet laugh. His enjoyment of the simple things in life, like animals and the outdoors, made him incredibly easy to spend the day with.
While Casey held many titles, he was proud to be a father to two boys and one little girl who had him wrapped around her finger. He was the dad that started a nerf gun war just prior to bedtime. Being a giant kid himself, he got out every Lego piece to build a plane, skyscraper or whatever his boys dreamed of making. He’d even stay up until 2 a.m. just to have it done for them when they awoke in the morning. The Christmas tree never got a proper topper because he was insistent the GI Joe’s in ghillie suits be camouflaged throughout the tree. Many didn’t know, but he was an expert at floral arrangements and would often pick bouquets for his wife.
Casey leaves behind many family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Kelly, and their children, Mark, Cameron and Lily, of Blacksburg; by his parents Mark and Kim Reece of Newport, and Glenda Wesley of Gretna; by his brother Drake and sister Angela; and his grandfather Barry Reece; and many loving friends, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
It is impossible to find words for how much we are going to miss him.
A celebration of life for close family and friends will be held in June. In keeping with the kind of man Casey was, dress will be casual. In lieu of flowers, please consider either donating to a higher education fund for Casey’s children or by donating to the New River Conservancy.
Virginia 529 (higher education) Account: Gift ID LYOF0VD (Cameron R.) or email 529 gift card to knuechte@gmail.com
New River Conservancy: (https://newriverconservancy.org/donate/memory-gift/).
