Obituary for Willis Earl Reed

Obituary for Willis Earl Reed

Willis Earl Reed

March 11, 1940 – June 2, 2018

Willis Earl Reed, age 78, returned to his heavenly home on June 2, 2018, after a valiant battle with injury and illness.  His devotion to his family and firm belief in God supported him in his struggle and ultimately gave him peace.
Earl was born to the late Willis and Grace Reed, in Mull, Arkansas, on March 11, 1940.  Earl was blessed with a large loving family.  He married Karen Louise Sturtevant on April 15, 1972.  Earl helped raise three children with loving patience, discipline, and humility.  From the beginning, he dedicated them to God and encouraged them to explore their faith and the Gospels.  He is dearly missed by his loved ones; they celebrate that he is at peace with his wife in the house of his Lord.  Earl is survived by sons Daniel and Sean Reed; daughter Stacey Reed; grandchildren Mary and Molly Studebaker-Reed, Catherine Reed, Hailey Reed, Maribeth Reed, and William Reed; brothers Eugene, Jerry, and Sam Reed; sisters Pearl, Louise, and Betty.  Earl was preceded in death by his parents, wife Karen, brother Harold, and sister Alice.
A native of Nebraska, he joined the Navy in 1960, serving honorably for 20 years. Serving during the Vietnam war, he retired as a chief petty officer. Earl earned various Good Conduct Awards, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam), and the National Defense Service Medal.  Upon retirement from service, he continued to work as an electrician on Naval ships at Metro Machine in Virginia.  In his later years, Earl and his wife moved to Florida.  He enjoyed RV camping, spending time with his family, reading, games, water volleyball, and interacting with Guests while working at Disney.
Earl’s memorial service was held at the Divine Child Chapel at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kissimmee at 11 am on June 7, 2018.  His burial service will be held at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery of Hall County, Nebraska, date to be determined.
Memorial donations honoring Earl may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital (501 St Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 or online at https://www.stjude.org/give.html) or Wounded Warrior Project (Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516 or online at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/