Chuck was born May 7, 1946, and passed on September 22, 2024. Chuck grew up in Pine Bluffs sparking his interest in Archaeology, his passion being Plains Tribal groups. He received his BA and MA from UW (1970, 1971) and a PhD from the University of New Mexico, 1978. He specialized in Late Prehistoric and Early Historic time periods, authoring many research articles and monographs. He generated 3 million dollars for archaeological research, public education programs and facilities. His teaching career started in 1976, teaching a diverse set of undergraduate and graduate classes until retirement in 2014, but we all know that was just retirement from the classroom. Some of his proudest accomplishments were developing and directing the High Plains Archaeology Museum, “Windows on The Past,” in his hometown. He was the Tribal Archaeologist for the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes on the Wind River Reservation for over 20 years. He had such a high respect for the elders as they did him, showing him places deep in the Owl Creek Mountains where ‘no white man has been before.’ He led excavations at the Vore Buffalo Jump as a graduate student and later was instrumental in promoting the development of the site which is now open to the public. He was chief scientist for the Vore Buffalo Jump foundation for decades. His career took him and his family to sites in the High Plains of southeast Wyoming and northeast Colorado. Sites in the Black Hills, Grand Teton National Park, the Wind River Basin and a sabbatical in southwest Colorado.
He was director of the Archaeological Field School Program, Territorial Prison Archaeology project, University of Wyoming Anthropology Museum and the Dendrochronology Laboratory. Other professional responsibilities included Anthropology Department Graduate Program Committee, the Archaeology Subdiscipline Curriculum Committee, UW/State Parks-Cultural Resources Archaeology Repository, Governor’s appointee on nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and so many other professional advisory committees and subcommittees that not all can be listed. He presented papers at professional meetings over his extensive career throughout the US, Jamaica, Calgary and Puerto Rico.
He received the Wyoming Archaeology Golden Trowel Award in1991, Excellence in advising award-University of Wyoming 2000, Mortar Board Honor Society, Top Professor Award-UW 2006, Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists Distinguished Service Award 2013. He served as President of both the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists and the Plains Anthropological Association, and as Vice President of the Colorado/Wyoming Academy of Sciences.
His family and friends will remember him best for his story telling. He was passionate about his career and truly loved what he did. When stopping by the house, one would find themselves getting a tour of the basement which he had set up like a museum. “Everything has a story.” He had a great sense of humor, even with his academic career, bringing The Simpons and Beavis and Butthead to his lectures. He used a light saber as a pointer in his classroom. When something piqued his interest, he didn’t mildly research it. He did the deep dive such as Tim McCoy and an old western filmed on the reservation. He found the location, marked all rifle cartridges with pin flags and made several charts, graphs, power points, and papers of his findings. Or his infatuation for the wild palomino Desert Dust when he met the man who captured him at a bar in Glenrock, Wy. Anybody who entered his basement, office or lab heard the story. He was an avid science fiction reader and collector. He would say Indiana Jones wasn’t accurate, yet he was in the back yard practicing with his new bull whip and hung a poster in his lab, perhaps even had a similar hat. His family will continue to use his quotes and share his stories.
He is survived by his Wife Sandy of 57 years who he drug all over the back country and only got stuck a ‘few’ times. Cross Country skiing to the Medicine Wheel, finding steps leading to it that were only a rumor at the time. Surveying in the Sun Light Basin and seeing how fast she could move to get in the truck when Feller, the German Shephard growled and took off into the forest (he returned). The countless sleeves she cut off his western shirts and sewed them to prevent fraying into his trademark sleeveless attire. Repairing holey jeans over and over because those were his favorites and generally just putting up with him! She was the foundation of his career and she will greatly miss his company.
Chuck is preceded in death by his son, Jason Charles Reher; and his parents, Virgil Reher and Patricia Heaton; and sister, Nina Lou.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra Reher; daughter, Arienna Reher; granddaughter, Brienna Culnan; grandson, Alex Culnan; his kitty, Thor also known as Merky; and siblings, Raphael (CJ) McAbee-Reher, Paul (Sally) Reher, Margaret (Dick) Rupke, Helen (Wayne) Reher-Werner, and Theresa Reher.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Montgomery-Stryker Funeral Home. Inurnment will follow at Greenhill Cemetery.
A reception will be held from 1-4 p.m. at Laprele Park Shelter #1 following the burial.
Memorial donations may be made to the Jason C. Reher Memorial Fund and/or the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation.
I first met Chuck while we were graduate students at the University of New Mexico. I greatly admired Chuck's research, his incredible sense of humor, and his devotion to his family. Sandy and Chuck frequently opened their home for graduate student gatherings and made us all feel very welcome. I always enjoyed Chuck's detailed panoramic descriptions of the natural and archaeological landscape and his stories about how it must have been to have lived there many centuries ago. My wife Beth and I will greatly miss Chuck.
We are so sorry to hear of your loss. "Art" as we knew him was a great friend and classmate. We always talked about him being the person who was able as an adult to do the thing that he loved the most with archaeology. We know that he shared his knowledge and passion for the subject with so many students. He has really through his work and associations made the world a better place. Sincerely, Dennis and Judy Kieler
Chuck was a great friend and colleague. He was always helpful and kind to a junior scholar.
I was just telling family and friends the other day about a favorite class taken as an undergrad. It was a history of native Americans, which I took in the 80s. so I was thinking of him just the other day. He knew how to deliver the material and stir ones interest. My condolences. I only knew him through that summer class but he will be remembered, Kathy Austin
While never a student of Dr Reher as a Plains Archaeologist I always admired and respected his work. He will be missed.
WE are so sorry to learn of Chuck's passing and send our condolences.
Thanks for all the terrific memories, Chuck. May decades of students never forget the wisdom of the Two Greatest Bobs (Marley & Dylan), nor the answer to the extra credit question on exam one of your Intro to Archaeology course (Marshalltown, what else?).
So sorry for the loss of your father. He was a remarkable man!
Arienna and family, I am so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful life he had.
He was a trooper and a good cousin and will always be remembered for his knowledge and humor, we will miss you
I spent many happy hours with Chuck discussing arrowhead finds. Go fly with the angels friend. Tom Gaddis
Chuck was one of the most enthusiastic and down-to-earth professors I ever had. I still recite quotes from him in the field. He was a true individual with a great heart and he will be greatly missed. Thank you Chuck.
Fond memories of the Reher family from my very early days in the 1970’s, including digs at the Vohr site, and LHS classes with Jason. So many crossovers with my mom. Love to you, Sandy.
Many years ago Chuck and I did some fieldwork in Grand Teton National Park. He snapped a photo of me high stepping it across a log that allowed us to ford a stream. Back in Laramie he photoshopped a grizzly crossing the log behind me. It was well done and looked for all the world as if he had caught me awkwardly evading the bear. It made me laugh so I taped it to my office door. Some weeks later a reporter doing some story on the department saw it and stuck his head in my door. Pointing to the photo he said, “please, please tell me this isn’t photoshopped!” I momentarily considered saying something like, “oh, jeez, yeah; that was a close one!” But no, I had to disappoint him. I’ve moved my office twice since then. And the photo is still on my door. And people still ask me about it. Thanks, Chuck.
I don’t even know where to begin! I basically grew up in the Reher house, as Ann and I were best friends all through elementary school, jr high and high school. He was like a second dad to me and their family “adopted” me into their home and life when Ann and I were in second grade. I absolutely loved the stories Dr. Reher would tell every time I came over and I was always excited to attend one of his slideshows in the living room, depicting his latest expedition. The memory I love the most is when he was going to take us to Pine Bluffs to “look for arrowheads” and along one of the walking paths we took, Dr. Reher said “several arrowheads have been found in this area” and about 20 minutes down the path, Ann and I found each found one!! It wasn’t until years later that Ann told me that her dad had one of his students walk the path the day before and plant the arrowheads we “found” just so we could feel the excitement of finding one. 😊 That was Dr. Reher in a nutshell. He always wanted to teach people about Archeology and you could just feel the passion he had for his chosen craft whenever he talked about it. He had the best sense of humor and could make it even the saddest person laugh. He always loved proudly portraying his three greatest accomplishments, his wife Sandy, his son Jason and his daughter Ann, in his archeological slideshows, bragging about them to anyone he’d meet and he did whatever he could to support them in any way he could. He had such a beautiful bond and a deep love for his wife, Sandy, that 57 years of marriage only made stronger. I will greatly miss you, Dr. Reher. I am so thankful that you are at peace and not in any pain anymore. Your presence, laughter, and enthusiasm for life will be dearly missed. -Susan
A life well lived. He definitely left his mark and had a very broad reach! It sure leaves a empty hole in the heart ❤️