Rick E. Reed “Ricky,” 54 of Knoxville, Illinois, passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 8:24 p.m. at the OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria, Illinois, surrounded by his loving family, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Rick was born on March 21, 1971, in Galesburg, Illinois, the son of Albert K. “Kenny” Reed, Jr. and Wanda Elaine (Harding) Atwell. Rick met the love of his life, Lisa (Woolsey) Woodruff, and together they built a beautiful life and family together for the last 33 years, marrying on October 18, 2008, at the Methodist Church in Galesburg.
Rick graduated from Knoxville High School in 1990. He worked for several years in the Village of East Galesburg maintenance department and proudly served on the volunteer fire department, where he spent many years as fire chief. He later dedicated 20 years to the Knox County Highway Department before joining Knoxville CUSD #202. There, he took tremendous pride in caring for the district facilities, especially mowing and grooming the baseball, football, and softball fields. Rick spent 5 years as the assistant girls’ basketball coach and 12 years as the Knoxville varsity boys’ baseball coach. Rick also served as the assistant baseball coach at Carl Sandburg College and was a dedicated board member of the Knoxville Youth League.
Rick is survived by his wife, Lisa, of Knoxville, Illinois. He is also survived by his three stepchildren: Blake (Shelby) Woodruff of Knoxville, Illinois; Josh Woodruff of Hillsdale, Illinois; and Ashley (Cody Scovil) Woodruff of Knoxville, Illinois. He leaves behind five grandsons who were the light of his life: Quinton, Jaxsyn, Karter, Case, and Walker.
Rick is also survived by one sister, Paulette (Chris) Welty of Port Allen, Louisiana, two brothers, Randy (Michele Clemens) Reed of Roscoe, Illinois, and Roger (Janice) Reed of East Galesburg, Illinois; one stepbrother, Jimmy Brown of Abingdon, Illinois; and several nieces and nephews. Rick was preceded in death by his stepmother Joyce Reed, stepbrother Bobby Miner, stepfather William “Bill” Atwell, his maternal and paternal grandparents, several uncles, and a cousin.
Beyond his family, there is no doubt that Rick’s passion was sports. He spent many years coaching kids to become a better version of themselves on and off the field or court. He poured everything he had into the athletes. From motivational talks to tough love, he did whatever was necessary to help them improve. No one was more selfless than Rick. He credited every victory to his players, while placing every loss on himself. No one wanted success for the kids more than Rick, whether it was his team or not. He never sacrificed values for victory. He embedded into the kids that no matter what the outcome, in sports or life, to do it the right way. He truly cared for each and every athlete he had the honor of coaching. He bled blue and gold and was a Blue Bullet through and through. Rick was a devoted, lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Bears, and the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball.
In accordance with Rick’s wishes, cremation will be accorded. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the American Legion Post 749 in Knoxville, Illinois, where family and friends will gather to honor and remember him. Memorials may be made to the family.
