Patrick S Reese, Lt. Col (ret), USAF, MSC, of Tipp City, OH, passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 57 following a long battle with leukemia. Patrick is survived by his loving wife and devoted caretaker Chrystal (nee Cook) and his two children Elsbeth and Nathaniel. He is further survived by his three brothers; Mike (Grace), Tim (Kim), and Mick (Julie); in-laws Deb (David), Michelle (Aaron), and Christine (Dale); nieces and nephews Tina (Tim), Apple (Wayne), Pauli, Kessie, Mark (Amanda), Kali (Matt), Kate (Tim), Jillian (Kenny), Angela (Raul), Jakob (Christa), Alex (Jess), Evan, Eli, Heather (Austin), Maria, Isaac (Payton), and Andrew; and many great-nieces and nephews. He leaves behind a church community and network of friends and loved ones spanning the globe, all who miss him dearly and remember him fondly.

Patrick was born on January 9, 1967, in Carlise, PA, to the late Chester and Genevieve Reese. Growing up in Newburg, PA, he graduated from Shippensburg Area Sr. High School in 1985, where he earned the nickname the "Newburg Wonder". He went on to earn a BA in Physics from Shippensburg University in 1989, followed by a Masters in Engineering Science from Penn State in 1991.

In the midst of his schooling and wondering who kept putting Hershey kisses in his pockets at work, Patrick met Chrystal. They spent every moment they could together and on August 18, 1990, they were married. Through moving, deployments, and illness Patrick and Chrystal have been an example of love and devotion that can never be overstated. Finishing his time at Penn State, Patrick was commissioned in the US Air Force in 1991. Through his 22 years of service his assignments included Sheppard AFB, TX; Langley AFB, VA; Andersen Air Base, Guam; Bolling AFB, DC; Elmendorf AFB, AK; Ft. Detrick, MD; Eielson AFB, AK; Vandenberg AFB, CA; Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; and Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. Whether on assignment, deployed, or travelling with his family in their RV, he always made a point to experience and learn about the culture of each place he visited. Those who worked with him may remember the candy dish he always kept full on his desk to invite anyone to stop in and chat. If the candy dish didn't pull you in, the Geek Tree with his Star Trek, Star Wars, and Journey to Space ornaments certainly would! Some of the treasured memories Patrick had are of unpacking the ornaments ("don't force that box kids!"), camping through Canada on any of the four times he drove the Alaska Highway (learning to fix the catalytic converter to get the camper across the border), fishing for salmon and halibut, planning a Lord of the Rings marathon with family up and down the East coast (Geek Fest 2005), and keeping bees and tapping maple trees with Chrystal once they settled in Ohio. In his own words, those were the days he wished could last forever.

On March 25, 2022, Patrick was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was directed to start treatment immediately, and over the course of the next year and a half he remained dedicated to any and all treatments his medical team could find, no matter how strenuous. On February 15, 2023, Patrick's son Nate donated the cells required to complete a bone marrow transplant. Despite a successful transplant, his AML relapsed and in November of 2023 Patrick was told he had mere months to live. Never one to give up a fight, and starting to feel like himself again, in March of 2024 he came off hospice and began treatments again in what has been described by his friends, family, and doctors as a miracle. Despite access to amazing care, his disease again mutated and Patrick made the difficult decision to be home with his family in November of 2024. For all their tireless work, Patrick and his family want to thank the many teams at The James Cancer Hospital at OSU for giving him all the time they could. To read about Patrick's journey up to April of 2024 in his own words, please see the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at https://www.lls.org/story/patrick.

Patrick was a life member of the USAF MSC Association, the American Legion in Tipp City, both the Greene County and Miami Valley Beekeepers Associations, the Ohio Maple Producers Association, the Tipp City Library Board, the Tipp City Foundation, the Cincinnati Curling Club, the Penn State Alumni Organization, member of both vocal and bell choir at each church he attended, owner of the biggest eBay cart of Hallmark Ornaments, and Captain of the Mt. Whitney Rescue Force.

A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday December 13, 2024, from 3:00 pm -7:00 pm at Tipp City Global Methodist Church, 8 W Main St, Tipp City OH 45371. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 10:00 am at the Tipp City Global Methodist Church with Pastor Bonita Ritchie officiating. A visitation will also be held on Saturday from 9:00 am – 10:00 am at the church. Patrick wished to establish a fund to assist families with expenses in their own fights with blood cancers. Please consider a donation to the Patrick S. Reese Fund, which will be used to support charitable purposes that reflect Patrick's life, c/o Tipp City Foundation, P.O. Box 626, Tipp City, Ohio 45371, or through www.tippfoundation.org. Services have been entrusted to the Zerkle Funeral Home, Tipp City. Condolences may be sent to the family through this online guestbook.