Reeg, Rachelle (nee: Ranciglio)
Rachelle Ranciglio Reeg, 90; baptized into the hope of Christ’s resurrection, 15 December 2023 in Saint Louis, MO. Born in Saint Louis, MO 10 July 1933. She was predeceased by her spouse Richard L. (1931 – 2003).
Rachelle is survived by her daughter Anne Stuckel (Bill), grandson Matthew (Kathleen), and great grandchildren Levi and Abigail, all of Saint Louis, MO; granddaughter Jennifer (Melissa Busby) of Piedmont, OK; son Bob (Mark Jefferson), of Washington, DC; sister Julianna (John) Lally of Saint Louis, MO; and many others who claim Rachelle as aunt, cousin, neighbor, club member, mentor, and friend.
Rachelle’s childhood and youth occurred in a lively home with her parents Anthony and Theresa (Calcaterra) Ranciglio and siblings Julianna and Anthony, Jr., along with relatives and family friends sharing their close-knit Italian American neighborhood called The Hill. Among her extracurricular interests, Rachelle studied piano and was a choir member at St. Ambrose Catholic Church and School and at Rosati-Kain High School.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in education from Harris Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University), Rachelle began her career first as a teacher with St. Louis Public Schools, then as a teacher at St. Timothy and St. Andrew parochial schools, followed by principal positions at St. Andrew, St. George, and Our Lady of Lourdes parochial schools. During her education career, Rachelle earned a Master of Arts in education from Washington University in St. Louis.
After her family and her career, Rachelle poured her greatest energy into Y’s Men International (YMI), the community service arm of the worldwide YMCA. A founding member of Carondelet Y Service Club (associated with the Carondelet Park Rec Complex) of the Gateway Region YMCA, Rachelle rose through the club, Midwest region, and U.S. area leadership ranks, breaking YMI’s glass ceiling when she became the first woman to reach the International President position in 1990. Rachelle’s accomplishments at the international level included pursuit of nongovernmental organization consultative status for YMI with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and engaging YMI in malaria eradication through the Roll Back Malaria initiative, now a key global program of YMI.
Additional to her YMI leadership, Rachelle was active as a volunteer supporting St. Timothy Catholic Church picnics and school events; training and scheduling lay readers at St. Mark Catholic Church; holding chapter and state leader positions with Zonta International women’s service organization; and serving multiple terms on the board of directors of the Carondelet branch of Gateway Region YMCA.
Upon retirement from education, Rachelle applied her great love for and extensive knowledge of St. Louis history to docent and executive positions at Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion in St. Louis and Hawken House Museum in Webster Groves; and as chapter and state leader in The Questers, an organization which promotes preservation and restoration of artifacts, memorials, historical buildings and landmarks.
A funeral mass will be held Saturday, 13 January 2024, 10:00 AM at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 5130 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, preceded by visitation commencing 9:00 AM. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 6901 Mackenzie Rd, St. Louis, MO 63123. In lieu of flowers, donations to Gateway Region YMCA (https://gwrymca.org/donate) or Peace Through Action USA (https://peacethroughaction.org/giving), the social purpose organization founded by Rachelle’s son, are encouraged. Additional information at: https://kutisfuneralhomes.com/reeg-rachelle-r-nee-ranciglio/.
Rachelle was my principal at St. George Elementary School in South St. Louis. She was a very positive supportive administrator who always made decisions on what was best for children. For me, as a teacher, she was always supportive and a positive role model.
Judy and John,
Thank you for the kind words about my mom. She certainly was a great role model for all of us.
She was a wonderful person
Hany,
Thank you for extending a kind message about my mom.
.I was fortunate to know Rachelle as a member of the Christopher Hawkin Chapter of the Questers. She has been missed at the meetings,
but is still a member. My prayers are with you all.
Marydelle,
I know that my mom enjoyed participating in the Questers. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we learn to navigate without her in our lives.
I met Rachelle in the basement of the old Carondelet YMCA, where she introduced me to the intricacies of Sorting and Pricing for the YMCA Bookfair. We had a background with the St. Louis Public Schools in common, as well as a love of books. Rachelle was generous with her time and her knowledge. She will be missed.
Kathy,
Thank you for your kind words about my mom. She really loved all of those books. I’m glad you had the opportunity to meet her.
My condolences to Rachelle’s family. My dad & mom (Ken & Fran Goebel) were active members from the beginning in the Carondelet Y’s Men’s Service Club for many years along with the Reegs. I have many fond memories of the annual book fair there & the book pricing in the Y basement. My parents always had wonderful things to say about Rachelle and her dedication to the YMCA. I enjoyed meeting her on multiple occasions. Such a wonderful lady.
Nancy,
I am confident our parents are reminiscing about all of those many bookfairs that they worked on together. Thank you for acknowledging my mom’s passing.
A friend of mine informed me of Rachelle’s passing because I went to Gratiot school in St. Louis and so did she, and Rachelle taught the 8th grade there for a season of time. Rachelle was my older brother’s eighth grade teacher when he graduated in 1957. We have 8 mm home movies of that graduation and it has Rachelle in it. She must have been about 24 years of age. I was quite young then (8), but I remember how much my parents liked her and were glad she was my older brother’s teacher. Our condolences to her family and friends. Oh, yes, we digitized that movie and it is part of a video post I made as a tribute to my older brother who died in 1977.
James,
Thank you for acknowledging the impact my mom had on your family as a teacher in our community. I wonder how I could see that movie of the graduation. I have photos of her when she was a new teacher but the movie would be of interest to me.
I am so sorry for your loss. Praying for peace and comfort as you celebrate Rachelle‘s life.
Pat,
Thank you for extending a kind message about my mom.
I was a student at Gratiot grade school who had reading problems and Mrs. Reeg
enrolled me in the Longfellow reading program that certainly changed my future
dramatically. I will always remember this help she provided and the impact of an
excellent teacher.
John,
Thank you for attending the funeral yesterday. I appreciate you and Russ having reached out last summer to meet with my mom. It was something that we talked about over the course of the last few months.
Rachelle was a dear friend. My husband and Rich were comfortable with Rachelle and I. Rich helped Bob build a pool deck at one point. They were our guests at a vacation home at The Lake of the Ozarks. After we lost our spouses Rachelle and I were in several groups together including Questers, St Timothy’s Auxiliary, Carondelet Older Adults and a few others I can’t recall. Age had separated us recently but my recall and fondness for Rachelle are vivid and heartfelt. Rachelle was very intelligent, gregarious with a lovely laugh and took action for various causes she championed. I miss her and will continue to do so.
Mrs. LaBarge,
I came across this message as I was preparing to send you an email earlier this week. I remember some of those trips to the Lake of the Ozarks and swimming in your pool. Thank you for the kind words about my mom. We are missing her too.
Anne,
I’m so sorry to learn of your mother’s passing. I know how difficult it is to lose a parent. Your mother seemed like an amazing woman that gave so much back to society and touched the people in her life. I’m sure that is where you got a lot of your great qualities from. My condolences to you and your entire family.