Miles Stanley Reed

May 5, 1917 - April 7, 2015

Dad passed away April 7, 2015, at Hope West at the age of 97. Miles was born May 5, 1917, to Lloyd S. Reed and Alice E. (Johnston) Reed at the family homestead ranch 3 ½ miles southeast of Molina, Colorado. Miles retired in 1989 to Palisade, Colorado, with his wife, Billie.

He attended Georgia Mesa School for ten years and graduated from Collbran Union High School in 1936. Miles went to California in 1936 to attend a mechanical school for one year. He came back to the ranch to work the summer of 1937. The fall of 1937 he worked for the Meeker Forest Service on the White River at Ripple Creek. The year 1939-1940 he worked for Western Railway Ice in Grand Junction, Colorado. The year 1954 he was working for the Mesa county Road Department. The summer of 1971 he worked for the Colorado Water Resources to help a friend. Then he started working full time for Colorado Water Resources 1973-1989. While doing these different jobs, he still helped at the ranch.

The 1941-9145 he joined the army serving in the European Campaign in WWII. He was in Company K, 157th infantry, 45th division. Miles was shipped to the tip of Africa, then to Cyprus, Italy. He was wounded during an amphibious landing and received the Purple Heart combat badge. Walking through different parts of Europe, his division was in Germany helping free prisoners from Dachau. Miles was discharged June 1945. When Miles arrived back home, he and Billie were married.

Miles enjoyed the outdoors-working the land; irrigating; raising chickens, turkeys, hogs, sheep, and cattle; and, of course, fence building/repair. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and trips to Arizona in the winter with Billie. He had a great memory of knowing the history of the Plateau Valley area and the people, land, water, and his own relatives and family. He enjoyed going the Grand Mesa, especially Cottonwood #1, which he, his dad, and his grandfather helped build.

Miles was a member of the Clifton Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Survivors include one daughter, Vickie L. Green of Craig, CO; grandchildren, James (J.W.) (Sally) Green of Craig, CO, Clinton (Lindsey) Green of Loveland, CO, Dawn Reed (Downy Martin) and June Marie Smith, both of Corona, CA; great-grandchildren, Danni of Craig, CO, Lincoln and Sawyer of Loveland, CO, and Marley and Miles Martin of Corona, CA.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Billie M. (Horton) Reed; son, Lloyd Miles Reed; daughter-in-law, Mary Ann (Toucher) Smith-Reed; sister, Eleanor B. (Reed) Nichols, parents, Lloyd and Alice Reed; and son-in-law, Danny B. Green.

Visitation will be 5-7 pm, April 10, 2015, at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. Services will be at 11 am, Saturday, April 11, at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, 2515 Patterson Road, Grand Junction, CO. Burial will be at Mesa Cemetery.

Contributions to the Ronald McDonald House would be appreciated in Miles Reed’s name.