Please forgive me for going off the normal topic of my “Keeping Tabs” blog, and I am embarrassed beyond belief with how overdue this piece is after my friend Jerry Reigle passed away from cancer on August 30.
But time goes by, and we get busy, etc …. However his name came up in our office last week. And I smiled.
Jerry was one of many that never called me by my first name. It was always “Nav” a nickname I got in grade school in reference to my last name. I got to know him covering a variety of sports while he worked for the Patriot News before he moved on to become an assistant editor and columnist for Area Auto Racing News.
I worked especially close with Jerry during several District 3 and PIAA swimming championships, as well as at local dirt tracks the times I would cover races.
For starters, Jerry had quite the compassionate side. I recall the time I hit a deer with my wife’s car on my way home from Williams Grove where we had finished covering a race. I called Jerry to just tell him (okay, to complain) about it. There wasn’t much damage to the car, but his only concern was if I was alright. Of course I was alright, however his response tells us all you need to know about Jerry Reigle.
He would seem quiet at times, but always had the ability to throw is zinger your way when the timing was right. And he always had the timing right. Perhaps my favorite memory is when Jerry worked for the Patriot News and we covered state swimming together. While sharing a beverage or two after a long day, Jerry, fellow Patriot reporter Jeremy Elliot, and I were sitting at one of the pubs in Lewisburg …
Now when they were together Jerry and Jeremy reminded me so much of my two brothers, Mike and Larry. They love each other, but for the sake of conversation turn everything into a debate on some form. It never got out of hand it was just their way of communicating. Finally, Jerry wasn’t saying much and Jeremy was going on and on as he (and I) have a tendency to do. However, the opportunity was there, Jeremy opened the door and Jerry closed it with a verbal shot that still has me laughing five years after it happened.
There was also the time at states when a sudden storm drop nearly a foot of snow around the Lewisburg area. With my hotel being 20 miles away, Jerry and Jeremy didn’t hesitate to invite me to crash in their room, only a couple of miles from the Bucknell University campus.
And these are the memories that I’m finally getting around to telling people about Jerry Reigle. There were plenty of other moments like these. He was a great writer and an expert on racing of all sorts, especially the local tracks. However he was even a much, much better man.
Unfortunately I had to cover a Penn State game the day of Jerry’s service I regret missing it. It is my hope that by letting people know more about the man he was, we can all look back and smile.
To my friend Jerry, you are missed.
Find out what is happening with former York and Adams county high school athletes, both on the field and off. Daily Record sports reporter Steve Navaroli and others will keep you posted on their outstanding accomplishments in college and beyond.
Thanks Steve! Jerry really was one of a kind. The racing world misses him. The rest of the world is sorry for not getting to know him. He was always someone I said “hi” to and had numerous conversations and laughs with at the track. God seems to take the best ones at a young age. I really liked Jerry…
Excellent article about a remarkable man and a true friend. Jerry’s top 50 were classic and always my first read in AARN