Obituary of Randolph Reid

Randolph “Randy” Reid was born February 27, 1939, in Durham, NC to Bessie Inges and James Ruth. When he was 16 years old, he left his hometown and moved to Newark, NJ where he met and married his lovely wife of 52 years, Vertie Mae Pringle. God blessed them with four children, Allen, Aldonia, DaShawn, and Nicole; they also had the honor of raising many others that they proudly call their own. Wanting a better life for his family, Randy moved to South Plainfield, NJ in 1988.

After working various jobs, in 1969, Randy secured a job at Automatic Switch Company (ASCO), in Florham Park, NJ, where he worked for 39 years when he retired. He loved working for ASCO so much, that he made sure his children, nieces, nephews, and their friends worked there too! His favorite part of the job was taking breaks, which he did so often, that he forgot he was there to work. Even though Randy retired from ASCO, he never officially stopped working. He would often spend his time at the courthouses talking to the police in South Plainfield and Plainfield, he was with them so much, some made him an honorary police and gave him his own badge. He decided to get a white car and patrol the town. That wasn’t enough for him, so he decided to become a crossing guard, which allowed him to protect the children and socialize with the community.

Randy was also an entertainer, and he loved people.

He would bless us with his slick dancing moves and golden voice and performing in his one-man band. Yes, he was that good. With those skills, he and his wife would go to the nursing homes, under the name “Smile Bandages” and their troupe of grandchildren would entertain the residents just to bring joy into the lives of seniors and their families.

Randy loved to play table tennis and would give anyone a run for their money with a quick game or two. He was a master spades player and with his special partner felt he could beat anybody. He would also have plenty of time to show off his trophies and photos of his achievements. He would always lend a helping hand to anyone in need. So many times he would bring new faces home with him and soon his new friends were family friends.

Randy was a member of the First Church of our Lord Jesus Christ in New Brunswick, NJ. He loved sharing the word of God with anyone who would listen. Even if you did not want to hear it, he would often say we are not to be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ and remind us of the importance of repenting and being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Randy became ill in 2019, and even though the doctors gave him what amounted to a death sentence, he wanted to show the world that GOD was still GOD and that whatever attacks cancer had on his body, it could not destroy his soul and his spirit. He fought diligently until the end, surpassing the time the doctors gave him. Randy departed this life on Sunday, August 13th, his way, at his home, surrounded by his family.

Left to cherish his memory and celebrate his life are his wife Vertie; four children, Allen “Charlie Brown”, AlDonia “Dodi” Ross (Clarence) Dashawn (Thomas) Grant and Nicole “Nicky” Brown (Jameel); and children Rasheerah Pringle and Ericka McNight; two sisters in law, Betty Carey and Patricia Pringle. It can’t stop there as he has many grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. His absolute

favorite of these is… yeah, EVERYONE thinks they are his favorite. His life was also enriched by so many great friends, honorably mentioning his longest and best friend, Walter McCoy, Reverend Eugene Lee, Sergeant Kenneth Reid, Frank, Jimmy, Melvin and Thelma Trott and the list goes on.

Randy’s favorite song was One Day At A Time. His favorite scripture was Acts 2:38… Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

God only knew that

Reading so much would help me to create

A poem to describe who you are and why you are loved

No one else has a

Dad, husband, and

Papa as special as you

And we are blessed beyond measure because of you

Remembering

All the moments we've had

Not only brings comfort, it is how we remind ourselves that the

Dedication, support, strength, humor, and love

You've given will never go away

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society in Randy’s name, www.cancer.org