Ed Martin Reed, Jr.
Marriages
Patta Leigh Blair
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 5C - January 16, 2022
Ed Milton Reed, Jr.
passed away peacefully at
the age of 95.
He was loved by family
and admired by any who
knew him. He was a true
leader. He had many
talents and hobbies. Ed participated in the arts as a
woodworker, created ceramic items for displays, had
a lapidary shop to make jewelry, and an area to paint
watercolors.
Ed loved to design the landscaping of their yards with
the help of his partner, Patta. They won yard of the
week three different times in Gunnison, Colorado. He
also enjoyed fishing and camping after retirement. He
docked his boat at Blue Mesa reservoir. Ed was a master
at cleaning and filleting fish and gave a lesson to anyone
watching that wanted to learn. Construction work was a
hobby of Ed’s as he remodeled all their homes and did
projects for friends. He had every tool there was, if he
needed it or not. His most unique hobby was a desire
to raise pygmy goats. This came from his childhood
memories of living on the farm.
As WWII erupted many young men answered the call
to fight for our country. Ed volunteered when he was
16 years old. He was 82nd Airborne and parachuted in
on D Day Plus three as part of the Normandy invasion.
He was wounded twice. He was reported as MIA. His
mother had to get his diploma for him not knowing if
he was alive. He was later found in a French hospital
severely wounded. He was sent home in a body cast.
Upon return he began his healing process. He put
away his memories of the war, and built a long, happy,
successful life with no mention of the war until many
years later. The only thing he wanted known about the
war is that he came home. People called him a hero. He
always said “I am not a hero, the men over there that
never came home are the heroes”. He is our hero.
As a young solider when he returned home his father
took him for a ride to enroll in college at Southwestern
University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He became a
very active and popular college student. Working hard,
he was anxious to get his degree and move out into the
world to establish his future. Along this journey he
spotted a young co-ed that caught his eye. This began
the love and marriage of 73 years to Patta Leigh Blair
Reed.
His previous injuries received during his deployment
meant more surgeries for Ed. The timing meant once
again that he could not walk to get his diploma, so
his wife accepted it for him. The call of the world
encouraged Ed and Patta to go to Kansas as school
teachers. This meant more school work for the Reed’s
as they completed their master’s degree at OSU in
Stillwater, Oklahoma. Again, the hospital called and he
was unable to walk for his master’s degree which was
mailed to him. His youngest granddaughter, Destinee
Reed, was about to graduate high school. Central High
School heard about a veteran who qualified for three
diplomas but had never walked so they honored him
with a diploma. He finally got to walk for his diploma,
along with his granddaughter. Education became
the life of the Reed’s as Ed became a teacher then an
Elementary school principal in Kansas and Colorado.
Ed was born to Senator Ed Milton Reed Sr. and Mary
Etta Warren Reed. He had six sisters, Ono, Olla, Pearl,
Jewell, Fay, and Florence. All his sisters were married
and had families of their own. His nieces and nephews
called him Uncle Ed. He felt like he had more mothers
than sisters. Ed’s family grew as well. He had two sons,
first is Ed Milton Reed III. His children are Justin and
wife, Ashley, Kristen and husband, David, and Destinee.
His other son, Jeffery Lynn Reed, is married to Debbie
Reed. His children are Tiffany and husband, Chris, and
Josh. Going from good to better to best came the greatgrandchildren, Addison, Noah, Tessa, Brynne, Declan
and Vivian. Ed leaves many friends and memories as he
enters his eternal home.
There will be a military honors service Friday,
February 4, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial
Cemetery of Western Colorado, 2830 Riverside
Parkway, Grand Junction, CO 81501.