Randy's mother and my mother were lifelong chums, from grade school until Velma died.  Velma and Walt and the boys were at our house for most holidays, making and hiding Easter eggs to birthdays to holidays and all in between.  Walt Sr. worked for a paper company and used to bring us all sorts of discarded paper that we cut up into Easter rabbit ears, eyes, nose, and hats, and glued them atop egg shells that Mom had blown out the interiors.  Crazy, I know, but it was an Easter Ritual and we loved all the colored papeer Walt gave us.  So many childhood memories of Randy and Walt Jr. and their folks.  I wish I could express my sympathy to his older brother, but have no way of finding him.  If you could, please forward this sympathy note.  Thank you.  Judy Hodson Sturgess -


Randy Reiss – My Friend from the Past

My name is Dennis Quearry.  Randy and I were very good friends, he lived behind my home on Hedges in Raytown.  Unbeknownst to both of us, we had lived just blocks apart in KC and would have gone to Central High had our parents not moved to Raytown.   As teenagers we spent hours shooting baskets, making firecracker bombs, shooting pellet guns in his basement and just having fun.  We both graduated from RHS and quickly went our separate ways and losing total contact.

On 17 July2018 two days before my birthday, I got the following email:
Old Pharts Birthday
I was going thur RHS page and noticed your name in the birthday wish section.  Hope you’re not too old to celebrate yet another year!!  Have a good one anyway.
Randy

Prior to several RHS reunions we all get requests to help locate classmates who have “gone missing”.  Last I had heard about Randy was he was living in Kansas somewhere.

His contacting me was startling to say the least, since we had not spoken for over 50 years.  It opened up the floodgates of email conversation between us and eventually led to an hour long phone call.

After that we remained in contact through many emails, some humorous, some quite serious.  We shared our pleasures and plights of life.

In October the emails stopped coming and I tried many times to contact him.

I am truly saddened at his passing and wish we had had more time to share.  I will miss him and his wry and ribald sense of humor. 

I too, like Mary Jean Ivy am concerned for his Guard Cat Ellie.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family. 
May he rest easy in the arms of Christ.

Dennis Quearry 



I am sorry to hear of Randy's passing.  He and I met in the 70's and shared a lot of common interests. We went hunting and fishing together. Over the years, we went in different directions and lost touch with each other. My condolences to all the family.

Randy was a long time friend of mine and my family. We hunted, and reloaded together. He owned a small gun shop in DeSoto Ks. for several years. We had many many outings, including gun shows, military base surplus sales, dinners, traveling, motorcycling, shooting, and to many things to list. Randy was part of a great group of friends that used to hangout together....I pray that he will be waiting in Heaven for the rest of us....Rest in Peace...

As my Sister Mary Jean Ivy said Randy spent a summer with me and my family in Egegik, Alaska. I had on & off contact with him over the years until about 10 years ago we reconnected via Email. Since Randy enjoyed hunting and his ownership of a Gun shop in DeSoto, KS...we had several thing in common.  He always spoke fondly about his summer in Egegik. I was able to visit him on a few journeys back to Raytown for 1963 class reunions. I had offered to visit him in Oct 2018 at our 55th Reunion.
He declined as he said his health was in tough shape. We continued to email with Humor and Recollections. Then the emails stopped; and he took off to his happy hunting  ground. He never forgave me for setting both of us up on a blind date with my Lutheran Pastor's two teenage relatives....not a good night and Randy made me pay for the 4 movie tickets and the dinner.  So he had the last laugh........

My fondest memory of Randy is when we were in 6th grade. I had the biggest crush on him. I decided to call him one night and when he answered I said “I love you” and then hung up real fast. The next day at school he asked me if I had called him the previous night and of course I denied it. I was so embarrassed! I had to remind him at one of our reunions, which made for a good laugh. Nothing like ‘puppy love’.  RIP Randy, you were one of the good guys.

I am Robert Williams sister.  Randy came to Alaska with my brother.  Bob, Randy, and my sister Jeannette and I drove over the highway to Alaska.  What a trip.  Poor Randy was car sick the whole trip.  He sat is the back (which is the worse place to be if you are car sick) brother Bob, sister Jeannette and I sang all the way.  That was probably why Randy was sick.  We had car problems and was stuck in Watson Lake for days waiting for a part to come in to fix the car.  While visiting my sister in Kansas City,  brother Bob, my daughter Char and I met Randy for lunch and enjoyed talking over all times.  I would email Randy all the time and when he didn't answer I knew something was wrong but I did not know anyone to contact to find out how he was.  I also have a younger sister and Randy always said I was the third favorite sister.  He always rubbed it in.  I play pinochle a couple times a week and he would always email and ask how I did.  He hated cards.   I miss hearing from Randy.  I hope someone will email me and tell me what has happened to his cat who he loved dearly.  maryjean519@gmail.com  I miss hearing from Randy.  RIP   Randy  From the Turd favorite sister of Bob Williams.  :)  

Shortly after high school, I left Missouri for good to pursue my profession of marine biology.  Over the years, I regret to say that I have forgotten most of the students at Raytown High School that I knew only casually then.  Randy fell into this casual acquaintance category, but I have remembered him all these years, for two reasons.  First, he was a really nice guy, and I remember enjoying  talking with him on many occasions.

Second, one of these conversations blew my mind.  He announced one day that his brother was going to marry Miss Oberzan!!  (Is this the correct spelling?).  She was either then or in the recent past my English teacher.  I couldn't believe it!  I mean she was impossibly old, being a teacher and all, though I must admit that for an old lady she was seriously cute.  Even worse, her subject was English which had absolutely no socially redeeming value.  (I think I was pretty far from her favorite student, because I made no attempt to conceal my disgust for English literature which simply didn't rank with the sciences that consisted of actual knowledge, not opinions, and possessed true beauty.)  Well, after a few more years' education, I began to realize how narrow-minded and wrong I had been at that age, and much later under the influence of my very literate wife, I actually started voluntarily reading many of the classics of English literature.  Indeed, my transformation has been so profound that I am now a lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and attend most of their annual general meetings.  So it turns out that one of the most serious lost causes among Miss Oberzan's students finally saw the light and became a far more balanced human being.  It just took more than the year she was forced to suffer through my presence.

Randy initiated this memory of my passage from ignorance and prejudice to enlightenment.  Too bad I didn't pursue a deeper friendship with him then.  It certainly would have been rewarding!

To the family of Randy Reiss - We were so sorry to hear of Randy's passing.  We have many great memories of him through our school years.  He participated in several of our reunion planning sessions, and it was wonderful  to  be able to renew old friendships.  Randy will truly be missed.     Raytown High School Class of 1963.

Randy and I were in first grade with his Aunt Ethel as our teacher.  I don't remember other classes we might have had at Milton Moore but we did have classes together at  Raytown Junior and Raytown High School.  I do remember going to the Central YMCA together  and losing badly on a relay team.  After high school we drifted apart but had a few contacts on Facebook.  I always enjoyed Randy's company and realize how much we had in common in our early years.  Sorry that he is gone.

OBITUARY

Randall "Randy" Dean Reiss

December 10, 1945 – January 13, 2019

Mt. Moriah, Newcomer and Freeman Funeral Home

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Updates

Services