The Passing Of Bill Reid

William Paul Reid, 98, died peacefully on Saturday, October 31, 2020. He was born in Circleville Ohio on October 16, 1922, the son of the late Paul and Ruth Swingle Reid. He was a member of the Army signal corps and then attended seminary at Oberlin College. He did missionary work at a boys’ school in Tarsus, Turkey and became an ordained minister. He then pursued his electrical engineering degree and graduated from Ohio State University. He worked for the Otis Elevator Company for 40 years which brought him from New Jersey, to Connecticut, and then to Indiana as he moved where the company needed him. He designed parts of elevators including those in the Twin Towers in NYC, and received a patent for his team’s creation of an electronic stepper to determine the position of an elevator car. He enjoyed traveling abroad and learning about other countries and especially historically significant locales. After retirement he moved back to Connecticut to be with his daughter, Kathi. She, her husband Everardo Zarate, and their daughter Erika cared for Bill for the last few years. He loved spending time with them and especially going to IHOP, taking photos, and watching TCM. He continued to learn about the latest advances in science and technology and even purchased a new hybrid Prius in 2008. He was most at home when he was at church and loved his Spring Glen Church family so that he really looked forward to Sundays. He sang in the choir and taught church school, and was proud to have contributed to the church’s solar panels. He was predeceased by his sister Margaret Snyder and leaves behind his nephews John and Lawrence Snyder of Ohio and stepson James Robinson of New Jersey.