Larry James Reed Sr.

A Committal with Military Rites will be held at Iowa Veterans Cemetery, 34024 Veterans Memorial Dr, Adel, IA 50003, on Thursday, November 19, 2026, from 12:30 pm to 12:45 pm.

A Funeral will be held at Heartland Church, 1212 NW 36th St, Ankeny, IA 50023, on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Final resting place will be Iowa Veterans Cemetery, 34024 Veterans Memorial Drive, Adel.

Larry grew up in Iowa and attended Valley High School in West Des Moines, class of 1957. From there, he went into the Navy where he quickly moved up the ranks to be an Electrician's Mate 3rd class (E-4) in less than 2 years. The Navy was his springboard for a long career as a maintenance electrician and plant equipment engineer for companies such as Westinghouse, Texas Instruments, Bendix Corporation, Ford, Kiowa Corporation, and he finished out his career at the Des Moines Register with over 22 years as their manager of technical services.

Larry was a dedicated family man who was always there for family reunions, birthdays, and holidays, and usually, he was the life of the party. He loved spending time with family, playing games, teasing us with his witty remarks, and always trying to keep things playful and ornery. He also loved to dance, and if there was music playing, he was dancing.

Larry loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, and canoeing. He used to call himself a "river rat" and loved to float down the many rivers of Iowa in his red canoe. A weekend getaway for him was a camping and canoe trip down the Raccoon River.

Larry's other passion was running. If he wasn't at work, spending time with family, or building and fixing stuff, he was running. He competed in hundreds of races and had a 5-foot-high pile of shirts to prove it. 5k, 10k, triathlon, marathon... You name it. He ran it. For two years in a row he took first place in his age group at the Bolder Boulder 10k race in Boulder, Colorado. That was when he was 79 and 80 years old! He ranks 18th in the all-time records for 79 year olds in that race at 1 hour 3 minutes and 54 seconds. He also ran the Des Moines Marathon at the age of 80!

Larry is survived by his children James Reed, Laurie (Rick) Ogg, Barry (Yolanda) Reed, Lanny Reed, and Christopher (Erika) Reed. He is also survived by his brother Richard Reed and 21 grandchildren: Sarah (Jennifer) Corvin, Jennifer (Mike) Scarsbrook, Nicole (Chris) McNulty, Steven Reed, Ricky (Samantha) Ogg, David (Cassie) Ogg, Joshua Ogg, Meshell Ogg, Elizabeth Ogg, Timothy (Taylor) Ogg, Hannah (Brad) Bahr, Ruth Ogg, Abigail Ogg, Michael Reed, Robert (Gloria) Reed, Kayla (Joshua) Robison, Jessica Geslak, Elisheba Reed, Lanny Reed, Nathan Reed, and Ryan Reed. He is also survived by his 32 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.

Larry is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 55 years, Sharon; his parents, Esabee and Charles Kenneth Reed; sons, Lonnie Reed and Larry Reed Jr.; first wife Loretta Lenihan (mother of Larry Jr., Lonnie, Laurie, and Lanny); siblings Raymond, Doris, Eugene, Lawrence, Leonard, Soundra, Garry, and Barbara.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be left at www.ankenyfuneralhome.com for the Reed family.