

Joyce Elaine Reed passed away peacefully in her home in the evening of Saturday, May 31, 2025, and was welcomed into the arms of our Lord. She was born in her grandmother's home in Ashley, Michigan on January 9, 1930. Her early years were spent in Lansing. When Joyce was 13, her family moved to DeWitt, where she met the boy who would eventually become her husband, Willard "Bill" Reed.
She studied at Acme Business College and was a secretary and bookkeeper at the Greater Lansing Safety Council. She also became a licensed insurance agent and helped Bill build and run a successful insurance business out of the basement of their home, all while fulfilling her greatest accomplishment of lovingly raising eight children. A woman of deep faith, she didn't need to speak of it, rather, she lived it every day. Her quiet acts of loving self-sacrifice touched so many people throughout her life.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Cecil and Myrtle Thompson; her husband, Bill; her sister, Shirley Gorman and her beloved son-in-law, Eric Ely. She is survived by her brother, Allen Thompson; her sister, Geraldine Swain; her children, Jim (Lynn), David (Linda), Ed (Carolyn), Tom, Anna (Bob) Neher, Joe, Colleen (Lance) Towery, Carol (Bill) Bensinger, and nearly 100 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Joyce's family would deeply like to thank the staff at Clinton Commons in Saint Johns for their wonderful care of her over the last few years.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am Thursday, June 5, 2025, at Catholic Community of St. Jude, 801 N. Bridge St., DeWitt, with visitation from 10:00 am until the time of service. The Rite of Committal will follow at DeWitt City Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 pm Wednesday at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes DeWitt Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Catholic Community of St. Jude Building Fund or a charity of choice.
DONATIONS
Catholic Community of St. Jude Building Fund801 N. Bridge St, DeWitt, Michigan 48820
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