REED, James Russel (1923-2020)

REED

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 5/4/2020 at 19:50:02

James Russel Reed
(July 24, 1923 - April 1, 2020)

James Russel Reed, passed away on April 1, 2020. His ashes will be buried in White Oak Cemetery in Elkhart, Iowa next to his first wife Dorothy. James was born July 24, 1923, in Hobbieville, IN, second of three children, older sister, Virgie (Reed) Simmons, and younger brother, Paul; James was last and died April 1, 2020, at his son Duane’s home near Montrose, CO, at the age of 96 years, following a brief illness.

He and his parents, Clyde & Cloe (Crabe)Reed, attended the small Bloomfield SDA Church in southern IN. He attended grade school in a one room school house in Hobbieville and later graduated in 1941 from the Solsberry High School.
His college education at Emanuel Missionary College (Andrews University), Berrien Springs, MI, was interrupted, Dec. 1942 by WWII. Following his discharge he returned and got a BA (‘51) in agriculture. While in college he met and married Dorothy Ellen Maxwell and his oldest son Donald James was born (’50). Following college graduation he moved to Worthington, OH and worked as a farm manager for a Dr. Harding. During that time Duane and Diane were born (‘51&’52). James bought (’53) a duplex in Westerville, OH, where Anita was born. In Westerville he became a foreman for Kilgore, a popular manufacturer of toy cap guns and military pyrotechnics, and nearly single handed built a country home at 9152 Tussic Rd. When the Kilgore plant closed they asked him to move to TN. But dad refused, and began work in Columbus in “customer assurance” for American Standard. The Reed family attended the Columbus Seventh-day Adventist Church and the four kids began attending the brand new Columbus Junior Academy in 1962.
On his way home from work Dad would return his four kids and two neighbor (Danforth) kids back from school in his dark green 1953 Pontiac (no seat belt laws then!) If we stopped at a traffic light, when we pulled away, the intersection would be filled with blue smoke. In 1963 he bought a brand new Ford Galaxy 300. Two years later he bought a wrecked 1965 Ford Galaxy 500 police cruiser. He, Donald & Duane would work on it Sundays or until 10pm school days. Donald and Duane will be forever indebted to dad who gave hands-on training in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, mechanics. Fall of 1970 American Standard closed its plant in Columbus, he transferred with them to Elyria, OH (west of Cleveland) and became a foreman at their West River plant. After numerous company name changes, Tappan Range, Singer, etc. the last one offered to transfer him to Buffalo, NY. Instead, dad stayed in Elyria and went to work for Boyd Cameron, C&H,K&S Mfg. as a metal fabrication foreman. When this company went bankrupt, dad started his own machine shop in his four car garage at his home on Murray Ridge. Two years following Dorothy’s 1988 death, he married Miss Rose Lanza, a fellow member of the Elyria SDA Church. In 2008 he moved to Montrose, CO, a year after her death, where he lived with son Duane for 12 years. From his youth James loved and honored the Lord. He helped others whenever he could. His family had a private joke that whenever they heard the intro: “Say Jim”… someone was about to ask dad for a favor, like, move them to a new home, fix something for the church, repair a widow’s car, etc. About Heaven, he would say, “We’ve gotta-be-there”.
He is survived by his four children, Donald (Tazewell, TN), Duane (Montrose, CO), Diane Hamilton (Madison, WI), Anita Watkins (Portland, TN); ten grandchildren: Ronnie, Chris & Eddie Reed (Montrose, CO), Stacia (Reed) Marcoe (Winner, SD), Leith (CA)& Trent (WI) Hamilton, twins Kurt (Akron, OH)& Ivan (Wadsworth, OH) Reed, Jason Watkins (Chattanooga, TN)& Chad Watkins (Portland, TN); 21 great grandchildren; and 13 great-great grandchildren. (by Stacia Marcoe’s unofficial count)
This memorial is provided by Peterson Funeral Home, 415 School Street, Carlisle, Iowa,
http://www.petersonfuneralservice.com