WHQR is sad to announce the passing of former Board Member Geneva Reid on July 13, 2026. Geneva was a cherished part of the Cape Fear community, sharing her skills, knowledge, and wonderful spirit with many local non-profits.
Geneva served on the Friends of Public Radio, Inc. Board of Directors from 2013 to 2018, working tirelessly during that time to support the station.
Development Director Mary Bradley fondly remembers collaborating with her on a Splendid Table-themed event—one of the many celebrations for WHQR’s "25 Big Ones" 25th anniversary. “What an absolute joy it was working with Geneva on the lovely party she hosted for a crowd in her backyard. She was a meticulous planner with a ton of style. That party was when I first really got to know what a superstar she was and was lucky to consider Geneva a role model and a friend.”
So many people at WHQR and in our larger community will miss Geneva deeply.
There will be a celebration of Geneva's life at Church of the Servant on September 12th at 3:30pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to one of the non-profits Geneva was involved in.
Following is the obituary provided by Geneva’s family:
Geneva Reid died Monday, 13 July, after a long illness.
Born in Dadeville, Alabama, on 6 September 1936, Geneva grew up on her grandparents’ farm until she was eight, when her mother moved her into town. She was adopted by her mother’s husband, J.D. Bryant, father of her three younger sisters, Barbara, Sue, and Martha.
She graduated from Dadeville High School at 16, and attended Alabama College, State College for Women (now the University of Montevallo). She earned her M.A. in English from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she began teaching college English, and where she met her husband, Frank.
Geneva and Frank married in 1960 and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where they lived until 2004 and raised their two children, Phillip (b. 1967) and Diane (b. 1969), and helped raise their grandson, Benjamin (b. 1995). Geneva taught at Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) until receiving her Ed.D. from the University in 1986, after which she began a second career at Federal Express Corp., first as a technical writer and editor, later as an Advisor at the Leadership Institute, FedEx’s in-house training program for management and international partners. In the latter position, she conducted management training worldwide.