Memorials › Wava Joy Richey Reigel

Wava Joy Richey Reigel

14 Dec 1933 – 24 Sep 2009

Birth14 Dec 1933
Death24 Sep 2009
CemeteryMagnolia Cemetery
Ragley , Beauregard Parish , Louisiana , USA
Added byThree Cousins on 30 Dec 2020
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42445077

Bio

Wava Joy Richey was the youngest of 12 children of Daniel Wesley Richey and Theodocia Josephine Hodges Richey. She was born on December 14, 1933 in Ragley, Beauregard Pa, LA. She attended school in Ragley and graduated as salutatorian of the 1952 senior class at Ragley High School. Wava went on a blind date with William Ernest Reigel on January 17, 1955. The couple eloped on September 4, 1955 and spent their honeymoon in Cave City, KY. Upon returning to Louisiana, Bill attended McNeese State University and Wava got a job with Standard Oil Company as a stenographer. Suzy was born in 1956 in DeQuincy; grandmother Theodocia babysat while Wava attended McNeese State University. On June 26, 1957, the family moved into a new house on Louisiana Avenue in Lake Charles, LA. On June 27, Hurricane Audrey struck, ripped off the roof and blew in five sliding glass doors. On September 19, 1957, Ernie was born. When Wava was released from the hospital, the house had been rebuilt and the family moved back in. Three months later, Wava and Bill woke up smelling smoke. They got out of the house with their two babies and lost everything else. They built a new house in a different location, Cusic Street in Lake Charles. Daughter Randi was born on February 2, 1959. The family then relocated to Stow, OH. Son Billy was born in Akron, OH on March 18, 1960. Wava attended college on and off from 1952 until 1966 when she completed a degree in Business Education. Following this, she worked toward a Master's Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision which she completed in 1968. She did not work full time until the family moved to Newaygo, MI. She taught Health and Physical Education in Michigan for six years. The family then moved back to Louisiana where she again taught Health and Physical Education for six years. They then moved back to Michigan where Wava served as a High School Guidance Counselor for three years and then became a High School Principal for the remainder of her career. Wava Joy Richey Reigel, 75, of Virginia Beach, VA passed away September 24, 2009. Wava loved life, music, her children, her husband, her friends, and most of all her grandchildren. Wava, a wife, mother, teacher, and high school principal, lived and worked in Michigan and Louisiana before retiring in 1992. After Bill died, she moved to Virginia Beach, VA where her two daughters lived. She was a dedicated church and crisis line volunteer and was a member of the Virginia Beach United Methodist Church and the Linkhorn Park Garden Club. She valued education and encouraged others in their pursuit of education. She was proud to be a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 2000. Wava always worked toward her goal of equality for all women. She will be lovingly remembered by her grandchildren for her late night card games with them, for the band that they named after her, and for her infectious laugh. Wava was predeceased by William E. Reigel, her husband of 37 years. She lived an amazing life; a legacy that is passed on to her four children Suzanne Reigel (Jeffrey) Breit of Virginia Beach, VA, Ernest (Beth) Reigel of Charlotte, NC, Randi Reigel (Bernie) Riesbeck of Virginia Beach, VA, and William (Beth) Reigel of Fort Mill, SC; fourteen grandchildren Natalie, Jackson, Lucas, and Georgia Breit of Virginia Beach,VA, Rebecca Jane, Will, and Rusty Reigel of Charlotte, NC, Betsy, Katie, and Lindsay Riesbeck of Virginia Beach, VA and William, Mills, Banks, and Annie Reigel of Fort Mill, SC. Visitation with the family was held at Johnson's Funeral Home in Lake Charles on Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. There was a private graveside service the following day. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Wava's name may be made to the Bill and Wava Reigel Scholarship Fund at McNeese State University, Box 92575, Lake Charles, LA 70609.

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