‘Badass outside demeanor with a heart of gold’
He had tattoos, a metal image, and a hammer that turned hot iron into weapons. But Jon Reeves, a mainstay of the Kalamazoo arts scene, is remembered for forging friendships and helping people transform their lives.
Reeves, the co-owner of Combat Ready Art at the Park Trades Center in Kalamazoo, was diagnosed in December 2023 with glioblastoma, a fast-growing, aggressive, and malignant brain tumor.
Jutta Wilberding, Reeves’ wife and business partner, who was holding his hand when he died on Dec. 15, 2024, said the absence will be felt beyond the forge — a blacksmith and teaching studio that was featured on season 10 of the History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” last year…