Mary Reed

Mary Reed loved Jesus and loved her family and friends and her two home states, Oregon and Florida. Mary Noel (Wadsworth) Reed passed away peacefully with her family beside her on July 24, 2025. She was a resident of Lake View Terrace in Altoona, FL where she received the very best care and impacted many of the lives of her caregivers with her sweet spirit and appreciation for their care even when that care was difficult for her.

She was born in Portland, OR in 1928 to Sallie (Noel) Wadsworth and Alva Wadsworth and was the younger sister to Larry C. Wadsworth, ten years her senior. When she was 16 years old, she was struck with Polio. That had to be a scary time for her and her family, knowing how devastating that diagnosis was for so many. She didn’t talk about it much, but evidently, it affected her swallowing, but left no outward signs of the disease. In November 1946, she lost her father who had been ill for some time. Through these difficult times she seemed to thrive. In looking at her high school yearbook from her Senior year, 1947, it was obvious that she enjoyed the time she spent in school. The notes from friends showed they adored her and treasured her friendship. We all learned something we didn’t know about our mom, she was part of the Spanish Honor Society.

After high school, she worked at Marshall Wells Co as a secretary. Irv Reed had moved to Portland after graduation from University of Colorado and worked in the warehouse until being promoted to a Sales Representative in the Floor Covering Department. They began dating during this time and were married August 26, 1950. We found letters they had written to each other in the month before their wedding and it is obvious how much they were in love with each other and looking forward to married life. Dad was traveling much of the time covering stores in small cities in Oregon and Washington. Mom stopped working soon after their wedding and started her new career as a full-time homemaker. She always excelled in this role and used her immense creative talents to make every place they lived into a home that was warm and inviting, where friends and family were loved. Mom had many opportunities to practice her craft as she and Dad lived at 17 different addresses during their nearly 69 years of marriage and each home bore her unique and creative style.

Their marriage was graced with four children. Larry Charles Reed was the first born arriving after their first anniversary in Portland, OR. Not long after Larry was born, Dad was called for active service in the Naval Reserve as a LT Junior Grade in December 1952 during the Korean War. They moved to Bayonne, New Jersey where Dad received training at the Naval Supply Corp School. In May 1953 Dad was stationed at Port Hueneme, CA as a Bureau of Yards & Docks Supply Officer. During their time in Port Hueneme, second son Jeffrey Alan Reed was born. The family story was that when Mom was admitted to the Naval Hospital, the admittance nurse saw Mom’s last name was Reed, which was also the last name of the Base Commander, so she was given VIP treatment with a private room and the best care. In those days the father was not allowed to attend the birth of a child so dad was home installing a TV antenna on the roof of their home when the birth occurred. After Jeff was born, Irv went to the hospital to see Mom and her new baby, and the hospital staff realized that Dad was a lowly LT JG not a Base Commander and Mom was relocated to the maternity ward, and that was the end of her VIP treatment. Dad was released from the Navy in November 1954 and the growing family moved to Olympia, WA. While living in Olympia, their third son, Charles Wadsworth Reed was born. The year after Chuck was born, they purchased their first home in the suburb town of Lacey WA. This was where they lived when on their fourth try, a beautiful baby girl, Donna Marie Reed, was born. And so, the family was now complete.

With Dad’s promotions at Marshall Wells and Coast-to-Coast Hardware stores, the family was on the move about every 3 years. As children, we realized that not only would we have new schools, but we had new churches where both Mom and Dad became very involved. Their faith was always what anchored us in new locations and each of us grew up in Sunday School. In Kansas City, as all of the siblings were now in school, Mom decided to go back to school herself to update her secretarial skills. We all remember her practicing her shorthand all the time and were impressed with how hard she was working to develop her skills. By the time we lived in Hopkins, MN, Mom and Dad invited Mom’s mother to come live with us, since she had retired from her popcorn truck. With Grandma living with us and running the daily needs of the household, Mom went back to work, first at Honeywell, then after moving back to Portland at Cornell Manufacturing, and finally in Fort Lauderdale she went to work at Southeast Toyota Distributors. She held many titles while at SE Toyota, always excelling and being promoted.

This new family grew and grew and produced Managers, Engineers, Educators, Executives, Law Enforcement professionals, Entrepreneurs, Artists, Healthcare professionals, Technology professionals, Public Servants and the list continues to grow. Mom and Dad’s legacy has been passed on to the next generation and the generation after that. When Mom passed, she had 11 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren (one in the womb) and 1 great-great grandchild.

Another aspect of Mom’s life that needs to be mentioned was her love of sewing. Each of the siblings can recall long shopping trips with Mom at the fabric stores. She loved looking at new patterns and new fabrics and other sewing accessories that allowed her to create beautiful clothes for Grandma, Donna and herself all while working a demanding job. She also learned to design patterns herself. Later in life she fell in love with quilting and painting. She was always in the choir at church and at Spruce Creek where they lived in retirement, she got involved with musical theater.

As children of Mary Reed, we learned so much from her example. First, we learned how to love each other and support each other and to encourage each other. We witnessed a wonderful marriage that endured through every circumstance. We also saw someone who worked hard and was always motivated to do her very best. She was always gracious with others and had many dear friends. In the last years of her life, we saw something even more impactful. Dementia is an awful disease that robs a person of their identity and often their dignity, yet Mom became an encourager and appreciated everyone who cared for her. She loved to hear scripture read to her and loved to hear her children talking with each other during visits. Her favorite passage was Psalm 23 and whenever it was recited to her, she would close her eyes, nod her head and tap her hand in rhythm with the poem. In her last months, when she really couldn’t communicate, she let her eyes communicate her love for others. When her caregivers came in to help her, they knew how much she loved them by the way she looked at them. Everyone we met when visiting her would tell us how much they loved Miss Mary. We are all so thankful for the wonderful care she received and the beautiful place where she lived. It was truly a wonderful life.