Jackie Reyer 1950-2006 an everyday Democrat

I met Jackie when my sons joined Cub Scouts after being Tiger Cubs. He was the leader of a lively group of St Paul Pack 8 Cub Scouts that met at an inner city Church. There were so many struggling families and troubled kids that found a place in that Pack. He also had two sons and two daughters who were about the same age as my two sons and all of them went to the same grade school for two years. My kids were accepted as transfer students in the suburbs for a couple years and my boys only boy scouts one year as their Dad was not involved.

My youngest son got bumped back into St Paul Schools in 6th grade and continued until he graduated. He again was in the same schools as Jackie's kids and made one daughter think she was going to hate him forever when he told her she was so cute she looked like the "Gerber baby" and the nickname stuck. When my son's best married Gerber's best friend they were thrown back together and she found she really didn't hate each other and eventually got married. The birth of a grandson made us all officially family.

Jackie was born in the south, married young and worked a lot of union jobs. His last was for what is now the Canadian Pacific Railroad as an Engineer. He was so mad at Bush being reelected in 2004 he got into a loud argument with coworker over it several times and was given the opportunity to apologize and keep his mouth shut or lose seniority. He chose to lose seniority.

When lung problems did not resolve over the last two years a condition was found that required surgery. He appeared to be healthy and strong but congenitally smaller heart artery (widow maker) masked the blockage of the other two arteries in his heart and although he survived the surgery he suffered a massive irreversible heart attack and died last Saturday at age 56.

Rest in peace Jackie. I was a pleasure to know you.