Dr. Charles Reiss, a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Camden for more than 30 years, died Jan. 12.
Deacon Reiss, 85, was born in Philadelphia and attended West Catholic High School and enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1948. After a four-year tour Chief Petty Officer Reiss attended LaSalle University and went on to Penn Optometry School.
Deacon Reiss joined an optometry practice in Philadelphia before setting up his own offices in Cherry Hill in 1965.
Ordained a deacon in 1981, he served at Kennedy Hospital and Queen of Heaven Parish in Cherry Hill until his retirement in 2009.
Deacon Reiss was a charter member of the Queen of Heaven Knights of Columbus, a longtime member of the Cherry Hill Lions Club, member of the Queen of Heaven School’s PTA and Queen of Heaven Church Council.
Deacon Reiss was predeceased by his wife, Kay, who passed away in 1996. He is survived by three children, five grandchildren, a brother and a sister.
Friends are invited to visitation Wednesday, Jan. 20 from 9:30-11:45 a.m. at Christ Our Light Church, 402 N. Kings Highway, Cherry Hill. Mass of Christian burial to be held at noon. Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.
Deacon Reiss’s family requests that donations be made in his name to Go4theGoal Foundation, 215 Cuthbert Blvd., Suite 150, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002.