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Country music singer and radio personality Jack Reno died
Saturday (November 1) of brain cancer at his home.
He enjoyed an illustrious career that included performances with country music
stars Waylon Jennings, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, Charlie Pride,
Red Foley and Grandpa Jones.
He performed on "Ozark Jubilee" in Springfield, Mo., and "Midwestern Hayride"
in Cincinnati. He made six appearances on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Mr. Reno, 72, recorded seven albums and dozens of singles, many of which made
it to the country music chart.
He also served nine years as a deputy sheriff in Boone County.
He wrote several songs, including "Mexican Joe" and "Tijuana,"
which was recorded by Jim Reeves.
In 1960, he was inducted into the Army while working as a disc jockey
at KCKN-AM in Kansas City. As a sergeant in communications, he broadcast music
for soldiers in the base hospital.
While in the Army he was given a record contract and recorded the
singles "Blue" and "My Knees Turn to Jelly." Both songs made
the chart with "Blue" becoming a Top 20 record. He later
recorded "Repeat after Me," which climbed to No. 5 on the chart.
Mr. Reno was also hired to appear in a movie called "From Nashville with Love."
Mr. Reno moved to Sharonville in 1969, where he helped start the country music
station WUBE-FM (105.1), according to his wife, Beverly. He also had
shows on WSAI-AM (1530) and WLW-AM (700).
Music Mirror magazine named him America's greatest disc jockey in 1967.
In 1978, the Country Music Association named him top country disc
jockey for markets larger than 500,000. He received the honor on CBS-TV's awards
show in Nashville.
Mr. Reno was working in radio in Bismarck, N.D., in 1985 when he decided to
retire from radio and return to Greater Cincinnati.
Hired by Boone County Sheriff Elmer Wright in 1989, he served as a deputy providing
service of process out of the county courthouse in Burlington.
He retired in 1999.
He was a member of Hopeful Lutheran Church in Florence, the Florence Elks, Plato
Masonic Lodge F&AM and the Country Music Association.
Besides his wife, Beverly Anderson Reno, survivors include: two sons, Randy, of
Florence, and Gary, of Geneva, Ill.; two daughters, LuAnn Heston of
Las Vegas, Nev., and Sheila Howe of Florence; a sister, Judith Augspurger
of Bloomfield; and seven grandchildren.
Visitation is 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at Hopeful Lutheran Church, 6430 Hopeful Church Road.
The funeral is 11 a.m. Thursday (November 6, 2008) at the church. Mr. Reno's remains
have been cremated.
Memorial gifts are suggested to the Jack Harris Reno Memorial Fund, c/o any
Huntington Bank.
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