Caleb A. J. Reidhead

2002 - 2019

Caleb Andrew Jackson Reidhead, 16, Hermann, passed away Monday, June 10, 2019, at his home.

Caleb was born July 11, 2002, in Washington. He was the loving son of Mathew C. and Jamie J. (Kleekamp) Reidhead, and the loving brother and best friend to Avery Reidhead.

Caleb attended grade school at St. George School and then high school at Hermann High School. Caleb had a profound sense of justice, and he loved his family, friends and dogs immensely. He was a man of science, always experimenting, inquiring and learning from a very early age. When he found a subject worthy of his interest, he absorbed all of it. Most recently, this was aviation. Caleb could step outside, glance up at a speck of a plane flying at cruising altitude and let you know it was a Southwest 737 dash-seven, or an Airbus A-380, or whatever it might have been. He also built a full-scale, fully functioning Boeing 737 flight simulator from scratch in his basement, and 3-D printed components of the instrument panels that he couldn't find online.

Caleb's second passion was music. He was an avid and gifted guitarist, and^his most prized possessions were his Fender Stratocaster, a mandolin that Avery gave him, and a vintage Del Vecchio acoustic his grandfather brought back from Brazil in 1963. His taste in music was beyond his years.^His favorite artist was Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco, but he also loved Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Billy Bragg and several other classic bands. Caleb's favorite times were all-night jam sessions with his brother, Avery, where they^would play all sorts of music, alternating together between guitar, bass and keyboard. Most recently they were up until 5 a.m. mastering "Where Is My Mind," by The Pixies, with Avery on rhythm guitar and whistling, while Caleb took the solos.

Caleb loved traveling.^He thrived on the history and diversity of the cities on the East Coast, and the peace and tranquility of the white Florida sand, or camping with his cousins along the Current River, but his heart was in the mountains of Colorado and the high deserts of northern New Mexico.

Caleb is survived by his parents, Mathew and Jamie, Hermann; his brother, Avery Reidhead, Hermann; his grandparents, Dennis and Angela Kleekamp, Hermann, Susan Morse, St. Louis, and Van and Mary Ann Reidhead, Augusta; his greatgrandmother, Naomi Ruth Howard, Hermann; many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Visitation was scheduled for Friday, June 14, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Toedtmann-Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann.

A funeral Mass will be held Saturday, June 15, at 10 a.m. at St. George Church, Hermann, with the Rev. Monsignor Gregory Higley officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be given to the Environmental Defense Fund, in care of Toedtmann-Grosse Funeral Home.

Arrangements are in care of Toedtmann-Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann.