SHERBURNE – Community members lit candles and gathered together under a black sky laden with bloated rain clouds in somber remembrance of long-time high school principal Keith Reed Jr. The crowd massed outside of the Sherburne-Earlville high school auditorium Wednesday night and silently made its way down the steep hill, coming to a halt outside the high school’s main entrance.

“He was a kind-hearted man with a warm spirit.” said one S-E student before the assembled crowd. “His smile glowed as he walked through the halls of Sherburne-Earlville. The last three letters of principal best describes who he was – he was a pal.”

Reed, 51, was found dead outside his home in Clymer Monday morning. Authorities have ruled his death a homicide, and an investigation continues. After leaving S-E in 2011, Reed had assumed the position of superintendent in the Clymer school district.