Wayne P. Reily

Wayne Paul Reily, age 80, of Amesbury, died Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Exeter, NH.  Wayne passed peacefully, with his family at his bedside.

Born in Peabody, Mass., on Oct. 23, 1945, to Georgia V. (née Coombs) and Frank Reily of Peabody, Wayne was educated in the Peabody school system. After graduating from Peabody High School, he later attended North Shore Community College, graduating with an associate’s degree.

In March, 1963, Wayne entered the U.S. Navy, and was honorably discharged in March, 1969. During the Vietnam War, he proudly served aboard the USS Truckee (AO-147), a fuel ship.

On Oct. 10, 1970, Wayne and Mary Reily (née Barnett) married and settled in Peabody. The couple were blessed with two daughters, Amy and Emily, who fondly remember many bass fishing trips and rewatches of “Star Trek.”

Wayne served in the Army National Guard from October, 1978, to October, 1981, and was honorably discharged. He later worked for many years as an auto mechanic for Burnett’s Garage in Wenham, and then became an auto detailer.

Wayne was a quiet man of many interests, including the study of human evolution, the history of dinosaurs, and freshwater fishing in New England.

Wayne was also a voracious reader. Along with devouring books on the Origin of Man, the wonders of the universe and American history, Wayne read countless books about World War II and other conflicts.

Wayne was an avid collector, and created many model cars, planes and ships to display around the home. (A model of the Hindenburg airship is well known in the family). Wayne coveted and carefully curated his coin and stamp collections.He could read music and play guitar; The Ventures were one of his favorite bands.

Wayne loved his family dearly and has many fond memories of them. When Mary was working as a nurse, he would treat his daughters to small plane rides out of Beverly Regional Airport.

Wayne was always willing to help anyone who might need anything. He took pride in this.

One of his fondest memories was spending time with Mary on their front porch, where he would often greet neighbors and their dogs. Among the several dogs the family had over the years, he especially loved their three greyhounds.

Wayne was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in August, 2022, but like many things in life, he took this in stride. He was very proud of the fact that he turned 80 in October. Sadly, he got to enjoy that milestone for only a few weeks.

Wayne is survived by his two daughters: Amy Retelle, her husband Robert and their son, Timmy, all of Andover; and Emily Reily Boyd, her husband, Tim Boyd, and their daughter, Sarah, all of Dover, NH. He’s also survived by a brother-in-law, John Barnett, and his wife, Barbara; a sister-in-law, Gloria Bioren, of Epping, NH; a brother-in-law, Nick Moskevich, of Portsmouth, NH; several nieces and nephews; and many friends, including childhood friends. He was predeceased by his sister, Judith Moskevich of Portsmouth, NH; and Daniel Bioren, his sister-in-law’s husband.

His family would like to thank his physicians, especially the outstanding staff in the ICU department at Exeter Hospital, for their exceptional care and understanding.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to: CancerCare, 485 Madison Ave., New York, NY, 10022; The American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX, 75284-0692; National Organization for Rare Disorders’ National Marrow Donor Program, 500 N 5th St., Minneapolis, MN, 55401-1206; The MPN Research Foundation, PO Box 2690, Carol Stream, IL, 60132-2690, or the National Bone Marrow Donor Program 

Calling hours will be Wednesday, December 17, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Highland Chapel of Paul C Rogers & Sons Family Funeral Home, 2 Hillside Ave., Amesbury, MA, immediately followed by a funeral service at 1 p.m.