James Reid

James Reid of Naples, FL and Park Ridge, NJ passed away peacefully at his home in Naples, surrounded by loved ones on October 9, 2026. He was ninety-one years old and predeceased by Phyllis, his wife of sixty-nine years. Jim was the devoted father of Lynn Fiore and her husband Gordon Olver, Gail Kanter and her husband Lonnie, Bruce Reid and his wife Mary, and Greg Reid and his wife Helga Schimkat; the dear brother of Margaret Sullivan and Andrew Reid and of Jean Grass who predeceased him; and the cherished grandfather of seven and great-grandfather of nine.

Jim was born and raised in Queens, NY. He played basketball at Newtown High School in Corona where he also started dating his future wife Phyllis whom he met when they were both in first grade. Jim attended Bowling Green State University on a basketball scholarship and earned a B.S. in Business Administration. He began his career at Proctor & Gamble in 1956, first in New York City then in Chicago. After twelve successful years, he moved his family to New Jersey to start his thirty-year career at Lipton/Unilever. Jim began at Unilever as a Director of Sales, then moved into becoming the Manager of Canned Beverage Products at which time canned Lipton tea was born. He next became the General Manager of Good Humor. He continued to be promoted through the years reaching Vice President, Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President positions. He retired in 1998 as President of the Professional Markets Group for Lipton Tea. Jim was widely recognized by his colleagues as a true leader and inspiring mentor.

Jim was an active member of the Hackensack Golf Club in Oradell, New Jersey and a founding member of Colliers Reserve in Naples, Florida. Jim and Phyllis enjoyed playing golf and tennis and absolutely loved entertaining family, friends and co-workers.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ. A service will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at (TBD). The interment will follow at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of James Reid to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org