Nicholas Carl Reich

02/03/1949 – 10/26/2013

Nick Reich was born in Chicago, IL to George and Helen Reich on Feb. 3, 1949. He passed away on Oct. 26, 2013 after a two-year battle with cancer of the esophagus.

Nick and his sister, Toni, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated from Tennyson High School in Hayward in 1967 and served in the US Army during the Vietnam War as a medical corpsman, delivering babies and tending the wounded at Ft. Huachuca, AZ.

Nick was known for his love of animals, his extensive collection of popular music, and his love of reading, particularly the works of Stephen King. In 1971, he married Lynn Beach and they had one daughter, Heather. In 2002, Nick moved to Santa Barbara to enter the men’s residential recovery program at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. Nick credits this program with saving his life, and through it he renewed his faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Nick celebrated over 11 years of sobriety from his alcohol addiction. After graduating from the program, Nick worked at the Rescue Mission for a number of years as the night security guard. The Rescue Mission was his home and his family for almost 10 years.

In 2011, Nick was diagnosed with cancer. His sister, Toni Percival, and her husband, Frank, cared for him through his surgery and treatments until August 2012 when he relocated to Mokelumne Hill in northern California, a town he quickly grew to love. He was also happy to be closer to his wife, Lynn, daughter, Heather McCoy, son-in-law Shilo McCoy, and two granddaughters, Chloe and Madylin McCoy.

Nick’s death came less than a year after the passing of his mother, Helen Reich Williams. His father, George, passed away in 1996. Nick is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Memorial services in Santa Barbara will be held at Christ the King Episcopal Church, 5073 Hollister Ave., on Saturday, November 16 at 1:00 pm. Donations in Nick’s memory may be made to the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, 505 E. Yanonali St., Santa Barbara, CA 93103.