Dr. Noir's Crime Posters

In Loving Memory

William E. Rea

March 2, 1936 - July 27, 2001

Dear Friends and Customers;

Much time has passed since I originally drafted this letter in my head. Even though my Dad has been gone for over two years, it still seems like yesterday. I know this may be a shock to some of you to learn of my Dad's passing at this time. As a family, we choose not to broadcast the untimely passing of a beloved Husband, Father and Grandfather. I am truly sorry but it has been an extremely difficult time for my family as my Dad has always been the lifeline of our family. As many of you may recall, my Dad was having health problems, which the doctors identified after almost a year and a half of painful and unsuccessful drug treatments as renal failure.

In the spring of 2001, my Dad was winning the battle with his kidneys when the doctors decided to try him on a drug called cytoxin to try and further improve his kidney function. It was the introduction of this drug and the malpractice of his doctors that resulted in his loss of life. All along the doctors kept telling us that he would "come around" and we fully expected him to come home. With no explanation from the doctors, my Dad's breathing got progressively worse and after nearly a month in the ICU they discovered that the very drug, cytoxin prescribed to further stabilize his kidneys was causing irreversible damage to his lungs. While my Dad was hospitalized, his family surrounded him even his 7 month old Grandson paid him a short visit. We all read to him silly jokes we shared, special psalms from the Bible and of course murder mysteries. The cytoxin within a mater of a month hardened my Dad's lung cells to the point where he could no longer breathe on his own and succumbed to drug induced pulmonary fibrosis. My Dad passed away in the early morning hours of July 27, 2001 surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 42 years Dorothy, 2 daughters Julie & Monica, 1 son, Stephen, 1 grandson, Lucas, 1 granddaughter, Phoebe, and 1 son in law, Timothy.

He was a great man and a tremendous Father who is deeply missed by his family and friends more then I can express. He always had a great story to share, a warm embrace, a kind loving heart, a warm laugh and I can't forget to mention a twinkle in his eye when you talked to him about film noir, comic books, movies in general and the old time radio shows..all classics he would say. I can still remember when his collection started; it was in the early 80's when he longed for the comic books of his childhood that his Mother threw away. He started with the comic books and decoder rings and progressed into the movie posters and then there was no stopping him. It all started as a hobby and just continued to grow and grow. Each item he obtained he never intended to part with; I have many fond memories of my Dad showcasing a new insert, lobby card or poster to the family with the excitement of a schoolboy. He would always take the time to point out the uniqueness of each piece noting the vibrant use of color, the scene and the verbiage. I spent many late nights with my Dad watching Charlie Chan movies and listening to the pure joy my Dad exemplified while giving tips to a "green" collector. Dad had a keen eye for nostalgia items and enjoyed sharing his acquired knowledge. As some of you may know many of his collection pieces have been featured in books .

My Dad had many challenges in his life. As a child he was diagnosed with polio and defied the doctors with his full recovery within one year. His love for movies and radio was evident as a child when he would save his lunch money to see the latest movie with his pals.

On his 16th birthday, his Father was tragically killed. Being the man he was, he stepped up to try and fill his Father's shoes by working multiple jobs throughout high school to help support his Mother and Sister. He put himself through college and became a Chemical Engineer with a successful career and still holds multiple patents today. He went on to get involved in the business of trading barges of oil on the open market. At this point in his career he was traveling internationally quite a bit and was stricken by the rarely know n disease at the time, encephalitis s. We almost lost him while he was battling this disease but once again he defied the doctors and made a full recovery. His life was cut short at the age of 65 but he always enjoyed his family and made sure that they felt loved. He provided for his family always looking to give them the best of everything. He got to see his children grow up graduate college, walk one of his daughters down the aisle, hold his first grandchild and share 42 years of marriage with the woman he loved.

To honor his memory and carry on his passion, my sister Julie and I (the Dr. Noir Daughters) have elected to continue to run the web site. My sister Julie and I will not proclaim to be as keen as my Dad but it is in our blood. We are trying are best to continue to offer you the stellar service you enjoyed with my Dad and hope to some day further expand the website and it's offerings. But for now, all the items offered are items hand selected by my Dad with the quality and integrity he became know for in this industry.

I hope that all the kind words and laughs that you all shared with my Dad will be fondly recalled by a smile on your face and in your heart. If you wish please scroll through the collage of family photos and feel free to leave a memorial message in our guest book.

Yours truly,

Monica