James Frederick Reeve of Mattituck died at home on April 29. He was 80.
Mr. Reeve was born on October 15, 1940 to Harold R. Reeve Jr. and Margaret Conklin Reeve of Mattituck.
He graduated from Mattituck High School, and obtained a degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College. He went on to serve three years with the Public Health Service in Nevada and Washington, D.C., to satisfy his military obligations.
Mr. Reeve then married his college sweetheart, Cheryl Churchill, and returned to Mattituck to join the family construction business, Harold R. Reeve and Sons.
After his father’s untimely death in 1972, Mr. Reeve assumed leadership of the company with his two brothers, John and Richard. Mr. Reeve focused on obtaining and coordinating new projects, interacting with all participants in each endeavor from laborers to Wall Street executives. He arrived with a friendly smile, upbeat attitude and inevitably a display of wit and wry humor, his family said, noting that many homes on the North Fork and South Shore stand testament to the firm’s success.
Mr. Reeve served on the Board of Trustees for the Southold Savings Bank and the North Fork Bank. He also enjoyed membership in the Marratooka Club.
He was greatly interested in efforts to preserve the quality of life on the North Fork and was a supporter of numerous historical and preservation organizations on the East End.
Mr. Reeve is survived by his wife, his brothers and their wives, several cousins, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.
No services are being planned at this time.
27east on May 3, 2021