Megan Reed
As a Chicago radio personality for nearly three decades, Megan Reed exuded the same genuine warmth and optimism with listeners that she shared with friends and colleagues.
Reed, who was 52, died Sunday after a 17-month battle with cancer. She had been off the air since September 2014 when she went on medical leave as midday personality at Hubbard Radio adult contemporary WILV (now WSHE FM 100.3).
“At the young age of 52, we lost the most wonderful wife, mother, daughter and sister,” her husband, Steve Casey, posted in a Facebook tribute Monday. “She fought valiantly and taught us all not only how to live to the fullest, but how to live in the face of death. We thank you for the color you brought into all of our lives. You will be missed.”
Among her peers Reed was considered a shining star.
“Megan was an amazing lady in so many ways,” said Mark Edwards, former vice president of programming at WLIT. “Superbly talented, beautiful on the inside and the outside, and with an amazingly sparkling personality. I was blessed to work with her for almost a decade and will cherish those times forever. She bravely fought a long battle and will be terribly missed.”
Greg Solk, senior vice president of programming and operations for Hubbard Radio, said: “Those of us who worked closely with Meg just felt better being in her presence. In a business often filled with slightly self-absorbed people, Megan was the sweetest and kindest of souls who never saw herself like the ‘superstar’ we all knew she was.”
Reed had been undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer that later resulted in brain tumors. She had surgery to remove two tumors in November 2014. “If there’s anything I’ve taken out of this it’s that I want people to take care of themselves and make sure that they’re healthy,” she said at the time.
A native of west suburban Batavia and graduate of Iowa State University, Reed started as a summer intern at WXRT and worked at the former WAUR and WYSY in Aurora before she began a 12-year run at WLIT in 1989. After a four-year break, she joined WILV in 2005. She also taught broadcasting at Columbia College.
In addition to her husband, survivors include her mother and three children. Funeral arrangement are pending.