“He was the best man I’ll ever have,” said Brittany Moon, his girlfriend of 2 1/2 years.
Moon said Reeder was leaving a friend’s house and believes he was on his way to see her at work.
Reeder was driving south on Ohio 54 when he went off the right side of the road and crossed three driveways, then veered left before hitting the pole, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Medics flew Reeder by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital, where the Montgomery County Coroner said he died at 8:10 a.m.
“It’s a shame that we don’t get to see him do more with his life and he will be missed,” Amy Howard said. Howard has a son who wrestled and grew up with Reeder.
“When they are growing up as kids you never think they won’t be here, or after they graduate some accident will take them from us. It’s heartbreaking,” Howard continued.
She remembers Reeder riding horses at their home and watching him at all the wrestling matches.
“He was always the smallest wrestler, but always had the biggest heart,” she said.
Ben Obee said he had the privilege to be Reeder’s wrestling coach for most of his career. He said Reeder became a family friend by the end of their time together.
“As a wrestler it’s a little different than other sports, because we spend so much time together. We are in gyms for 12, 14 hours together. We travel. We become your secondary family,” Obee said.
Obee had Reeder babysit his son Connor for a summer.
“He was like a brother,” Connor Obee said.
Ed Rhoads also was one of Reeder’s wrestling coaches. He called Reeder a “life-long friend.”
He said it was neat to watch Reeder’s transformation from a 76-pound freshman to a 112-pound district qualifier by his senior year.
“He never walked away knowing he could not get better. It was exciting to watch,” Rhoads said.
Rhoads said his relationship did not stop with Reeder after he stopped wrestling. Rhoads stayed in touch with Reeder and helped him fill out paperwork for college.
Reeder had one more semester left at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, according to Rhoads. He was studying criminal justice and wanted to be a police officer or prison guard, Rhoads added.
As of Friday afternoon, the family plans to have a viewing at Jones-Kenney-Zechman Funeral Home in Springfield and is still deciding a date, Moon said.
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