Viola Ozelle Baecher

Viola Ozelle Baecher, 82, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2026, surrounded by family and loved ones after a courageous stay in hospice. She lived a full, curious, and generous life defined by service to others, deep family devotion, and an unshakeable love of story, poetry, and good music.

Viola was born on August 19, 1943, in Zanesville, Ohio, to Rev. Granville William Reed, Jr. and Anita Ozelle Reed. She grew up in the Midwest and came to consider Chicago her true home — the city where she would build her career, raise her family, and leave a lasting mark on her community.

It was in Chicago that Viola met her former spouse, Frank Baecher, and together they raised two children, Victoria and the late Michael (d. 2000). Viola began her working life in service to others at the Martin de Porres Settlement House on Chicago’s West Side, and in the late 1960s served as president of the London Town Houses Co-op. Never one to stop growing, she returned to college as an adult, earning her undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago before completing her Master of Science in Social Work, with distinction, at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago in the early 1970s.

Viola went on to become the social worker at Rich Central High School, where her impact reached far beyond the classroom. She served as head cheerleading coach for many years and an enthusiastic sponsor of numerous student clubs, including the Afro Club and chess club, and directed the school talent show, and championed a Black History Month program that became one of the school’s most celebrated traditions. Later, when her former cheerleader and mentee Zenia Smith Boyd returned to coach the squad, Viola stayed on as her assistant coach, and together they led the team to the Illinois Cheerleading Co-Ed Varsity State Championship in 2012 — a proud milestone in a career built on lifting young people up. Beyond the school, Viola served her community as a Village Trustee in Park Forest, Illinois.

Viola was also the devoted historian of her family’s story. Long before the internet made research easy, she pursued her family’s roots with tireless determination — poring over county records and traveling to Virginia, California, Texas, and beyond to trace the Rodgers, Quivers, and Halls families back to the James River in pre-Colonial Virginia and to the California pioneers. Her research preserved generations of family history that might otherwise have been lost, and she was invited to share it in talks she gave around the country, including at the Park Forest Historical Society, the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California, and the Library of Virginia. She was also a proud member of the California Pioneer Historical Society. She hoped her work would inspire others to do the same, saying it mattered “especially for African-Americans” to have positive family stories preserved and shared.

Above all, Viola was a free thinker with a positive spirit — fun-loving, witty, and a natural storyteller who could hold a room. She loved poetry, good music, and the company of the people she cherished. An avid traveler, she journeyed not just around the United States but around the world, and especially treasured sun-and-beach getaways to Mexico and the Caribbean with friends and family. She loved her years in Park Forest, and in 2016 she moved to Washington, DC, to live with her daughter, son-in-law Franklin Wassmer, and their family, where she was quickly embraced by neighbors and friends on Hobart Street in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. A year ago, she moved to Seattle to be near her daughter, residing at Murano Senior Living and supported by the Alder program.

Viola is survived by her daughter, Victoria; grandchildren Alexander Edouard Wassmer and Christophe Emmanuel Wassmer; and her siblings Rev. Rodger Hall Reed and Dr. Richard Earl Reed; along with a wide circle of family and friends whose lives she touched. She was preceded in death by her parents, Rev. Granville William Reed, Jr. and Anita Ozelle Reed; her son, Michael; and her brother, Rev. Dr. Granville William Reed, III.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be directed to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago, Illinois; Mary’s Center in Washington, DC, or the Shockoe Institute in Richmond, Virginia — causes that reflect Viola’s lifelong commitment to community, service, and history.

A celebration of life will be held in the Chicago area in September or October 2026. Details will be shared with family and friends once finalized.

Viola Baecher in memorial causes- in lieu of flowers:

Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago, IL area

https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/?form=FUNJGTERQFS&pagename=lb_help_donation_options#Honor%20and%20Memorial

Mary’s Center, Washington, DC region

https://www.maryscenter.org/about-us/social-change-model/

https://www.maryscenter.org/ways-to-help/

Shockoe Institute - Richmond,VA

https://www.shockoeinstitute.org/about

https://www.shockoeinstitute.org/donate

https://www.shockoeinstitute.org/pbs-newshour-shockoe-institute-explores-enduring-impact-of-slavery

Please share your condolences and memories of Viola with her friends and family on her guestbook below.

- Care Entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home Lake View -