Colby Tyler Rheude Obituary (2002 - 2020)

Colby Tyler Rheude, 18, of Virden died at 3:00 p.m. May 6, 2020. Colby was born in Springfield, IL on March 25, 2002. Colby was a humble, kind, loving, reliable, well-mannered, and good-looking young man. He loved spending time with his brothers and sister playing board games, video games or outdoor sports. He really enjoyed spending time with his family eating, telling jokes, watching sports and just hanging out. Colby lived in Virden for most of his life. He was a senior at North Mac High School and was looking forward to graduating next month. He was a good student, and participated in Scholastic Bowl, Track and Cross Country. His energy and upbeat personality were always contagious, and he liked mentoring and supporting his younger teammates. He absolutely loved the camaraderie, raising sprits and boosting his team's morale, whether it were sports or scholastics. He was also enrolled to attend Blackburn College this Fall majoring in Secondary Education. Colby attended and was baptized at the First Christian Church of Girard, where he rarely missed a Sunday. He unofficially became an assistant to his Sunday school teachers and was admired by all the children who knew him. He attended the church's youth group regularly and was a group leader every year for the Vacation Bible School. He was also an active volunteer with the Girard Food Pantry. Colby was a hard worker. He started working for the Virden Sanitation Department at the age of 15. Simultaneously, he would do chores at home and odd jobs for all of the grandparents. He never complained and always had a smile on his face. And oh, how he loved making jokes about his "dirty job!" From an early age Colby loved to travel seeing different countries and learning about their history. Although he was fortunate to visit many foreign countries, he was just as thrilled to travel in the US or to take hikes and picnics with his family at local parks. Colby was well liked, a guiding light, and a great friend to all who knew him. He was quick with a joke or a smile to cheer you up. He was sincerely a happy young man who always saw a silver-lining to any dark cloud. He enjoyed wearing quirky, off-beat, t-shirts to make people smile. His energetic personality and smile were always infectious and for the most part welcomed. Colby's family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks for everyone's generosity, care and commitment for their family over the past few weeks. He is survived by his parents, Jaclyn Rheude and Josh Kiel; father Dave Carey; brothers, Austin Rheude and Nolan Kiel; sister, Nora Kiel; grandparents, Ken (Kathy) Kelnhofer and Bernie(Cindy) Kiel; great-grandmother, Doris McDuffee and Great-great- grandmother, Ruth Klitzing, as well as numerous extended family and friends. A private graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday May 22, 2020 at Virden Cemetery. The procession to the cemetery will leave Airsman & Calvert Funeral Home in Virden at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Anyone wishing to pay respects to the family is invited to park along the procession route and stand beside their vehicle. The procession will travel north from the funeral home on Route 4 to Cemetery Road, then West on Cemetery Road to Virden Cemetery. The cemetery will be closed during the time of service, but will reopen at 3:30 p.m. Friday to those who wish to drive past the grave and place a memorial. Cemetery attendants will be on hand to assist with the placing of memorials as everyone is required to stay in their vehicles while on cemetery property. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in Colby's honor to Jaclyn Rheude for the Colby Rheude Memorial Fund which has been established at the Prairie State Bank and Trust in Virden. Arrangements are under the direction of Airsman-Calvert Funeral Home in Virden. To leave a tribute you can visit www.airsmancalvert.com.