Lloyd Reed, 95, of Atlantic, Iowa and formerly of Wiota, died Tuesday, August 30, 2022, in Cookson, Oklahoma.
The son of Frank and Cecile (Mailander) Reed, Lloyd Harold was born August 14, 1927, in Atlantic, Iowa. He left high school to join the United States Army and served at the end of WWII. He was honorably discharged at the age of 21 and returned home to finish his education, graduating from Wiota High School in 1949.
On May 28, 1949, he was united in marriage to Wanda Mae Thomlinson at her parent’s home in Atlantic. The couple was blessed with three children, Denny, Ron and Donna. Following their marriage, they lived in Wiota, until moving to Atlantic in 2002.
Lloyd worked as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, taking over his dad’s route. He retired on September 1, 1989, after 40 years. For many years, he would rise early, drive his route, come home for lunch and then head out to drive truck for Lawrence Kloppenburg.
In 1953, Lloyd helped start the Wiota Volunteer Fire Department and in 1954, took a big part in selecting and purchasing their first truck. He played an important role in the department for 69 years, remaining a lifetime member because they never would let him go! He has been a member of the First Lutheran Church, south of Wiota, Iowa, since 1959. Lloyd was a loyal churchgoer and there was never a doubt that on Easter Sunday he would be there–even if he had to head home from Arizona before the weather actually warmed up in Iowa.
In his spare time, he remodeled a number of homes, including one for each of his children. His dream was always to build a house from the ground up and he finally had that chance, building a new dwelling with and for his buddy, Garald Harris. He always enjoyed working with wood and learned to make turned segmented bowls and writing pens with his daughter, as he wintered in Arizona. In retirement he took up golf and rarely missed a day, still playing 5 days a week at the age of 94.
Lloyd is survived by his children, Denny Reed and his wife, Sherri of Des Moines, Ron Reed and his partner, Chuck Downs of Tucson, AZ and Donna Watson of Mesa, AZ; grandchildren, Shane Reed and his wife, Tammy of Urbandale, Mike Reed and his wife, Jamaica of Adair, Lisa Munsey and special friend, Matt Alexander of Ida Grove, Jennifer Yerton and her husband, Mike of Cookson, OK, Shaun Watson and his wife, Jeanette of Cumming, Brad Harris of Colorado Springs, CO; 18 great-grandchildren; 8 great-great-grandchildren; sister, Marlene Andersen of Atlantic; sisters-in-law, Norma Reed of Atlantic and Kathryn Clark of Redding, CA; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda; parents Frank & Cecile Reed; parents-in-law, Herbert and Ethel Thomlinson; son-in-law, Robert Watson; daughter, Donna’s special friend, Denny Hall; brothers, Dick (Lucille) Reed, Howard Reed and Duane Reed, sister, Benita (Russell) Rasmussen; brothers-in-law, Ralph Andersen, Rex Clark, David (Georgia) Wilkins; and beloved aunt, Hilda Jorgensen.
A visitation with the family present will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Thursday, October 13, 2022, at Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic.
A Celebration of Life Memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Friday, October 14, 2022, at the First Lutheran Church, south of Wiota. Burial, with Military Honors by the Anita American Legion Post #210 and the Iowa Army National Guard, will be held in the First Lutheran Cemetery. The service will be livestreamed and recorded; more details will be available closer to the time of the service on the funeral home website.
Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation to the Wiota Volunteer Fire Department.
Roland Funeral Service is caring for Lloyd’s family and his arrangements.
