Caleb Andrew Jackson Reidhead

Caleb Andrew Jackson Reidhead, 16, of Hermann, MO, passed away Monday, June 10, 2019 at his home.

Caleb was born in Washington, Missouri on July 11, 2002, he was the loving son of Mathew C. & Jamie J. (Kleekamp) Reidhead and the loving brother and best friend to Avery Reidhead.

Caleb attended grade school at St. George School and then high school at Hermann High. Caleb had a profound sense of justice and he loved his family, friends, and dogs immensely. He was a man of science, always experimenting, inquiring, and learning from a very early age. When he found a subject worthy of his interest, he absorbed all of it. Most recently, this was aviation. Caleb could step outside, glance up at a speck of a plane flying at cruising altitude and let you know it was a Southwest 737 dash-seven, or an Airbus A-380, or whatever it might have been. He also built a full scale, fully functioning Boeing 737 flight simulator from scratch in his basement, and 3-D printed components of the instrument panels that he couldn’t find online. 

Caleb’s second passion was music. He was an avid and gifted guitarist—his most prized possessions were his Fender Stratocaster, a mandolin that Avery gave him, and a vintage Del Vechhio acoustic his grandfather brought back from Brazil in 1963. His taste in music was beyond his years—his favorite artist was Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco, but he also loved Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Billy Bragg, and several other classic bands. Caleb’s favorite times were all-night jam sessions with his brother, Avery where they’d play all sorts of music, alternating together between guitar, bass, and keyboard. Most recently they were up until 5:00 a.m. mastering “Where is my Mind” by The Pixies with Avery on rhythm guitar and whistling, while Caleb took the solos.  

Caleb loved traveling—he thrived on the history and diversity of the cities on the east coast, and the peace and tranquility of the white Florida sand, or camping with his cousins along the Current River, but his heart was in the mountains of Colorado and the high deserts of northern New Mexico.       

Caleb is survived by his parents, Mathew & Jamie, of Hermann; his brother, Avery Reidhead, of Hermann; by his grandparents, Dennis & Angela Kleekamp, of Hermann; Susan Morse, of St. Louis; and Van & Mary Ann Reidhead, of Augusta, Missouri, his great grandmother, Naomi Ruth Howard, of Hermann; and by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Visitation will be held Friday, June 14th from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann.

A funeral mass will be held Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at St. George Church, Hermann, with Rev. Msgr. Gregory Higley officiating. 

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations to Environmental Defense Fund, C/O Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home.