Adam Mark Reiher, 39

Adam Mark Reiher, 39, of Cedar Falls died unexpectedly at his home on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family at 2417 Jaclyn St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613 for future use in his honor.

His family includes his parents, Mark and Brenda (Petersen) Reiher; sister Andrea (Robert) Reiher-Odom; nephews Bennett and Finnegan, and niece Emerson; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom love him very much.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Vern and Marilee (Blume) Reiher of Allison, Iowa; maternal grandparents Estel "Pete" and Donna (Yarrington) Petersen of Waterloo, Iowa; and his cousin Lauren Petersen of Bethalto, Illinois.

Adam was born July 27, 1984 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Throughout childhood and adolescence, he was a talented baseball and basketball player. When he was 12, he was invited to join the Dan Deery Hornets AAU All-Star basketball team. In 1998, that team won the under-14 state championship and competed at the national tournament at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports where they won several games.

As much as he enjoyed baseball and basketball, Adam found his true passion when he discovered the game of golf. One of his proudest accomplishments was the summer before his junior year when he won the Independence Insurance Agents Junior Classic state golf meet by shooting rounds of 75 and 70 and then won a two-hole playoff to capture the boys' division title. That win earned Adam a trip to the 2000 IIAJC national tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.

In high school, Adam qualified for the 4A boys state golf tournament twice, finishing as high as 8th in his junior year. Throughout junior high and high school, he practically lived at Pheasant Ridge golf course - though his favorite local course was Gates - and eventually, he was hired at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo.

Adam graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 2002 and the University of Iowa in 2006. In Iowa City, he worked at Swingmasters Golf and loved tailgating, going to Hawkeye games, and cutting loose at Joe's Place. His sister could even get him to dance sometimes.

After college, Adam moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he was an assistant golf professional at the prestigious Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale. He was well-liked with the members, giving countless private lessons to help others improve their golf game. He was known as a talented “teaching pro.” Adam was also beloved by the ladies' golf outing club The Niners, for which he organized events every week.

In recent years, he moved back to Iowa because debilitating back pain led to two spinal fusion surgeries and unfortunately ended his golf career, but being in Iowa, he was able to spend a lot more time with his family. He loved to watch Iowa Hawkeyes and St. Louis Cardinals games with his parents and spend time with his sister and his niece and nephews.

Adam will be deeply missed by his family and friends. His spirit, his love, and his wonderful sense of humor will continue to live on in the hearts of all of the lives he touched. The memories he created will forever be a source of comfort and inspiration to all who knew him.

A celebration of life will be held at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course on Sunday, April 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. And yes, The Masters will be on the TV there - that's why we chose that day. It was Adam's favorite golf tournament.