06/13/2026
❤️ Where part of our Roots started ❤️
This week's Facebook Friday Series is a little different. I wanted to spotlight a 3 generation Ag family that got its start right here in tiny old Selbyville, WV. Loyal C. Reger, who passed in 2016, was my great uncle and this year we lost his beloved wife Tressie, the last of a great generation. One that shaped our entire family. I have the privilege of farming the same plot of ground that gave him his start and, well, I've been feeling a little sentimental. --Brandi
Rooted in Agriculture. Where are they now?
From the Reger Farm to a 4-H Legacy Across Generations
Some legacies begin quietly — on a family farm, in a hog lot, beside parents who teach hard work before the world ever knows your name.
Loyal C. Reger was the sixth of ten children born to Emory and Cordi Reger. Raised on the Reger family farm in West Virginia, Loyal grew up working the land, raising hogs, and learning the value of responsibility, service, and agriculture from the ground up.
Before beginning the career that would touch generations of young people, Loyal enlisted in the United States Navy and served during World War II. After the war ended, he married Tressie Winemiller of Carter, West Virginia, and used the GI Bill to attend West Virginia University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Animal Science degree.
From there, Loyal and Tressie moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he began working for the University of Maryland Extension Service as a Junior Extension Agent. He was later promoted to Maryland 4-H and Youth Agent in Caroline County. Over the years, he continued his education, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Leadership through the University of Maryland.
What started with humble beginnings on a West Virginia farm became a lifetime of service to agriculture, youth, and community. Loyal dedicated many, many years to Extension work and was recognized with a 25-Year Service Award for his contributions to 4-H and youth development. A newspaper feature also noted that when he began in 1956, there were about 20 clubs, and by the time of his retirement, more than 900 youth were involved in Caroline County 4-H programs.
His impact was so lasting that the Caroline County 4-H Park has a pavilion named in his honor — a fitting tribute to a man who helped build opportunities for generations of 4-H members.
Today, Loyal Reger’s story continues through future generations in three different states — West Virginia, Maryland, and Oklahoma. His daughter, Clara Beth Bramble, and son-in-law, David, continue the family’s agricultural tradition on the Eastern Shore of Maryland through Quail Covey Farms, where they raise grass-fed beef. His grandson, Spencer Bramble, carried that agricultural legacy forward as an Oklahoma State University graduate in Animal Science and through his work with the USDA.
From the Reger farm to the 4-H Park, from hogs and hard work to leadership and legacy, Loyal’s life reminds us that agriculture is more than what we raise. It is what we pass on.
A West Virginia farm boy.
A World War II Navy veteran.
A Maryland Extension leader.
A family still rooted in agriculture.
A 4-H legacy that still stands.
