Athlete and retired restaurant manager Michael L. Reid died peacefully under hospital care June 11 due to complications from a decade-long battle with cancer. He was 65.
Reid was born February 28, 1958, in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Fairview High School there. He then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in communications from The Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus.
While at OSU, Reid was part the cheerleading squad for three years. This included cheering at the Rose Bowl, Gator Bowl and Sugar Bowl, as well as competing in the 1980 National Collegiate Cheerleading Championship that was broadcast on CBS. He called the cheerleading squad his "first, second family."
After graduating from college, Reid stayed in Columbus where he managed multiple restaurants. Reid also helped co-found Columbus' first gay softball league Columbus Gay Softball League (CGSL)—now known as the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association (CLGSA)—and helped expand the gay bowling league. He won many awards in both sports, including, from the CGSL, MVP in 1986 and the "Jenny Bench" Spirit and Sportsmanship Award in 1991.
Reid moved to Chicago in the early '90s to seek new professional and personal opportunities. When former Chicago Bears player and coach Mike Ditka's restaurant, Ditka's, opened in 1997, Reid started as a server/host and then became a manager, where he stayed until that Chicago Gold Coast location closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and leasing issues.
Starting in 1999, Reid and his future husband Jason Messinger became friends who very quickly fell in love. They moved in together in 2001 in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood. The 25th floor condo where they lived together for many years reminded Reid of the long-running TV show The Jefferson's. Reid, like the opening credits song for The Jefferson's, joked that their home was also, "A deluxe apartment in the sky, yii, yii."
The couple got married on June 15, 2022, in Chicago City Hall and celebrated their honeymoon as a staycation in Fulton Market.
When Reid moved to Chicago, he quickly joined the Windy City gay softball league, later called the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA) softball league, where he was known by the "Weezy" moniker.
Reid's teams won the NAGAAA 2009 World Series in Milwaukee (Chicago Spin Cougars) and the CMSA 2010 and 2014 Chicago Cups among other championships. For his lifetime of outstanding sportsmanship, Reid was bestowed the Metropolitan Sports Association James B. Brodie Award in 2017, the same year he retired from the sport due to his health. To cap off his many sports accolades, Reid was inducted into the CLGSA Hall of Fame in 2019.
In a statement on their Facebook page, CMSA called Reid "a shining light in our league who always greeted everyone with a smile and warmth."
"Mike [was] pivotal to CLGSA's existence," said CLGSA in a Facebook statement on their page. "…Our condolences to Mike's husband, Jason, his other family, friends, former teammates and other CLGSA players and coaches who had the privilege to take the field with Mike."
Reid is survived by his husband, Jason Messinger; brother John (Robin) Reid; nephew Mario (Jessica) Reid; nieces Dr. Korin Jacquelin Michelle (Nicholas Brown) Reid, Dr. Keeanna (Demetrius) Warren and Robin Lynn Reid, grand-nephews and -nieces Ellison, Genevieve, Korin, Mathew, Reid, Levi and Aria; Messinger's parents, Douglas (Sandy Solmon) Messinger and Dr. Mary Forester (John Kuczkowski); Messinger's siblings Heather (Roger) Karsten, Kara Messinger (James H.) Jewell, Brendan (Brandy L.) Jones and Zoe Messinger; Messinger's nieces and nephews Max, Nick, Juliette, Luc, Bodhi and Hudson and countless chosen family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Thomas Reid Sr. and Pauline Ellison Reid and sister Dorothy Reid.
"Michael was a joy to work with," said longtime friend and Ditka's co-worker Paul Woodard. "He knew everyone at Ditka's, especially the regulars and his fellow team members. This ran the gamut from their food and drink orders to the names of their children, their romantic stories and other personal details.
"Michael created a culture at Ditka's where it was more about being a family than a business. He was the person to whom everyone went to and confided in about work, and also their personal lives. Michael was one of the greatest people I have ever gotten a chance to know whether in business or my personal life. He will be missed not only by me, but also the many people he touched over the years."
Longtime chosen family member and Ditka's co-worker Carlos Valentin said, "Mike was always my dancing partner at Ditka's annual Christmas parties. He also invited me and my son to stay the weekend countless times at his Lake Shore Drive and Belmont condo. We would hang out and also swim in the building's indoor heated pool.
"He was just the nicest man in every way imaginable. Mike loved it when I would play jazz tunes on the piano. … He was the unofficial hype man for all of the employees during the pre-shift each day he worked. Mike would end those kitchen meetings with 'We're going to busy' with a special emphasis on the word busy.
"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I only saw Mike twice in-person since Ditka's closed. We talked all the time over the phone, and I loved each and every conversation we had. We would hang up in happy tears after each call. Mike's death hits different to me. I will miss him tremendously."
Longtime friend and teammate Danny Tag said, "Mike was always a key member of the softball team, always uplifting teammates and supporting them, on and off the field. He was always game for playing any position on the field and usually handled third-base coaching duties with infectious enthusiasm.
"Everybody loved Mike. He would always greet people with a great big smile and powerful hugs. Once during a game in which our team got off to a horrible start, I asked Mike to swap positions from catcher to shortstop, where I was playing. Our fortunes soon turned around as I had Mike rotate between every position on the field throughout the game. In the end, we won with his game-winning hit to end it. Mike was everybody's cheerleader. He always had encouraging words for you and lifted me up on many occasions."
Longtime friend and fellow Chicago softball teammate Joe Green said, "Mike's spirit shone brightly not only in his everyday life but also on the softball field, where he became a cherished teammate. He turned every game into a celebration and made you feel special. His presence alone lifted the spirits of the entire team. Win or lose, he reminded us that the bonds forged through shared passion and unwavering support were the true victories worth cherishing.
"He possessed a rare and genuine kindness that touched the lives of everyone he encountered. With the gentle squeeze of his hands in yours, no words needed to be spoken to feel the genuine love he had for you and for life. He had an uncanny ability to see the good in others, to lift them up with his gentle words and acts of compassion. Reminding us all of the profound impacts one person can make in this world.
Prior to his death, Reid requested that no funeral service take place and instead those he left behind hold a summertime Disco Dance Party Celebration of Life. Details TBA.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that people make a donation to their favorite charity in Reid's name because his ethos was to always do good things.
