William A. 'Bill' Reid, 86

Bill was born June 18, 1929, in Syracuse, N.Y., and passed away peacefully in Sandpoint, Idaho, on March 23, 2016. Adopted at age 2 from an orphanage by James and Francis Reid and raised an only child, Bill had a wonderful childhood growing up in upstate New York enjoying the great outdoors, learning to stream fish, deer hunt and building great friendships. Bill began piano lessons at age 5 and immediately took interest in Jazz and was playing professionally by the age of 19.

After reading an article in Ford magazine about the Kamloop fishing in Lake Pend Oreille, Bill began a long journey in his car, working at farms along the way to earn a living and eventually reached his destination at beautiful Sandpoint in 1949 where he met Virginia “Ginger” Roberts and they were married in 1950. Bill and Ginger raised three boys and one girl mostly in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where he worked as a lineman for General Telephone for more than three decades, also playing jazz piano on weekends to support his family, along with building lifelong friendships within the community. Bill began collecting glass insulators in the mid-1960s when telephone lines were being replaced with buried cable, and amassed one of the largest collections in the country. Bill became a respected mentor and great friend to many in the hobby nationwide for more than 50 years.

Bill and Ginger parted ways in 1980 and he married Mary Virginia Miller “MV” later the same year and enjoyed life together in Greenacres, Wash., with their shared profession of piano playing, retirement, friendships and attending insulator/bottle shows around the country. The year after MV passed, Bill met Audrey Brockway of Sandpoint and married in 2001, also enjoying a shared interest in antiques and glass and remained together until Bill’s passing.

Bill lived life to the fullest, whether being involved in the jazz community in the Northwest, his hobby, being with family, friends, or just relaxing with a quality beer in his hand. He will be greatly missed by all those who had the privilege of knowing him.

Bill is survived by his wife, Audrey; ex-wife Ginger; sons Alan, Harry and Bob (Becky) Reid; daughter Diane Kelly; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 19, 2016, at New Song Bible Church where he often attended, 470250 Hwy 95, Sagle, Idaho (4 miles south of Sandpoint) followed by a dessert reception.