Former Culpeper Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge William D. Reams Jr. with his portrait at the courthouse portrait dedication in January of 2002.
Services for former Culpeper County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge William D. Reams Jr. will be held Friday morning at St. Stephens Episcopal Church on North East Street.
Reams, who served in the Culpeper Commonwealth Attorney’s office for a decade and as one of two Virginia 16th Judicial District Juvenile Court judges for 21 years before retiring in the late 80s, passed away Monday. He was 82 years old.
In addition to his legal career, Reams was a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, a civic and church youth group leader and an avid fitness advocate.
Current Culpeper J&D Court Judge Frank Somerville said Reams handled Culpeper and most of the rural counties in the 16th District.
“There were only two judges for the entire district, which includes eight counties and the City of Charlottesville,” Somerville said. “Of course, the caseload wasn’t as large in those days.”
A second judge predominantly handled Charlottesville’s caseload, while Reams rotated amongst most of the other courthouses, he said.
A lifetime resident of Culpeper County, Reams was known to run his court with a firm hand, but was considered an even-handed and fair member of the local judiciary.
“Judge Reams was a nice and fair man, but he was firm,” said Culpeper County Sheriff’s Deputy M.N. Jasper, who has worked in law enforcement in Culpeper for 43 years.
“He was honest, and very community minded,” Jasper said.
Jasper noted that Reams was always concerned with physical fitness and was a runner long before running became a popular activity.
“He ran marathons. He was always in excellent shape,” he said.
Most teenagers in the community encountered Judge Reams upon receiving their drivers licenses, an occasion upon which the judge had stern words of caution for Culpeper’s young residents.
“He’d tell kids they need to slow down and not follow so close or you’ll end up getting yourself killed,” said another courthouse official. “And he was exactly right.”
T.I. Martin, a fellow South East Street resident a few years older than Reams, said he heard Reams’ driving speech on a few occasions and noted “the lecture he gave was fantastic.”
“He did a great job as a juvenile judge,” Martin said.
Reams was also known for his community activities, which included being a Master Mason, a member of the Culpeper Volunteer Rescue Squad’s water recovery team, a youth football coach and an active youth leader at St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
Culpeper attorney Andrew Gayheart said he remembers Reams taking members of the church youth group on many camping trips during his childhood.
“He’d go on all the camps and the youth really liked him,” Gayheart said. “He was always really involved with his kids, too.”
After his retirement, Gayheart said he emceed a “retirement roast” for the former judge.
“All the other judges were there. I’d say he took it all pretty well,” Gayheart said.
“I knew Judge Reams as a kid, as an adult, and then as an attorney,” Gayheart said. “He was an amazing guy. When I was young, it was always my fear that I’d end up in front of him in his court, but fortunately I never did.
“He was somewhat intimidating as a judge,” he said.
C.W. Goldsborough and his family family lived next door to William and Nancy Reams on Mountain Run Lake Road for decades.
“We bought that land together and flipped a coin over who would get which parcel back in 1962,” Goldsborough said. “We were the first two families to build on Mt. Run Lake Road. It was still a dirt road then.”
Goldsborough said, in addition to his love for running and swimming, Reams was also an avid aviator.
“He got his pilot’s license at the same time as his father, back when he was 16 or 17. The first time I went flying was with Billy Reams in an old Piper Cub.” He said. “I was thinking, ‘The only thing between me and the ground is this piece of canvas?’”
Lee Goldsborough, Reams’ godson, said his fondest childhood memories of the judge were occasional trips into downtown Culpeper for ice cream.
“From time to time he would load all of us kids into the back of his pickup truck and take us into town to the Tastee Freeze by McDonald’s for ice cream,” he said. “I always thought it was really very nice of him to do that for us.”
Laura Reams-Fitzgerald said her father was a modest man who was not big on discussing his achievements.
“Daddy was very humble when it came to his accomplishments. He preferred action to words, both of himself and others,” she said.
A memorial service for Reams will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Stephens Episcopal Church on North East Street.
Source: http://www2.starexponent.com
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