Joshua William Reeves

Joshua W. Reeves, 31, of Dryden, left us too soon on Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. He was born March 3, 1986, in Ithaca to Jennifer L. Ortiz Reeves of Ithaca and Jay W. Reeves of Lansing.

Josh, as he was known to friends, loved the outdoors. He enjoyed fishing with family, exploring woods with his mother for the natural medicines found there, camping and hiking the Adirondacks with his father, and simply being on his own with nature. He was known to put on a tough guy act that left some who knew him calling him a "cocky SOB". But those who knew him well also saw the joker in him and recognized the gleam in the corner of Josh's eye and the laugh coming as he acted "tough," usually with a smart-aleck comment afterwards.

Josh dealt daily with the challenges of autism, which would be missed if you didn't know him. He learned that autism allowed him to develop a laser-like focus that made him into a real go-getter. Whatever he wanted to know, he would teach himself: playing the guitar, carpentry, and a passion for legal research, a skill he used to help himself and others in need of legal assistance. Josh's autism also magnified his sense of love for those he felt closest to him. Josh was proudly a momma's boy who often checked on her. He shared coffee almost daily with his grandmother Gloria A. Ortiz, and lunch weekly with his grandfather John Ortiz.

In addition to his parents and grandparents, Josh is survived by sons Caleb and Mason Reeves; siblings Alex Waxham and Jessica (Michael Parks) Reeves and Sapphire Olmstead; grandmother Janet Reeves; uncle Randy Reeves; aunts Amy, Christine, Karen, and Sharon Ortiz plus Elisha Ortiz Lloyd and Rebekah Ortiz Mazzone, Brandy Reeves, Cindy Reeves, Kathy Snyder, Laurie (Glenn) Fenner; and a host of cousins. Josh is pre-deceased by stepmother Brandy S. Beaumont Reeves, grandfather Stanley Shine Reeves, and uncle Jeff Snyder.

Calling hours for Josh will be 1-2pm on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, at Perkins Funeral Home, 55 W. Main St., in Dryden. The family will hold a private service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, cards and donations may be sent to Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County, 210 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850.

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