Winford Arthur Reed

Winford Arthur Reed was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this man was an outstanding luminary and that his natural abilities served him well. He knew with certainty how he wanted to set priorities in all aspects of his life. He struck those who knew him as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what he expected from his day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Winford was a man who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Winford would set about immediately to create it.       His parents were George Dewey and Mae Whitaker Reed. Winford was raised in Elkhart, Indiana. Winford was brought up to be reasonable in his actions and was taught to use his intellect wisely. He was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced his self-confidence. Even at a young age, Winford was credited with having a positive influence on those around him.      The positive atmosphere that Winford generated spread to his family. Winford was raised with two brothers, Paul and Jimmy, and a sister, Betty. Winford served as a catalyst within the family. He often found himself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Winford was able to demonstrate his uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.      Winford's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to his exhibiting leadership qualities early on in his childhood. He liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, he was willing to experiment with different approaches as he worked a plan towards a solution. As a young boy, he took part in football. In his spare time he liked golf and fishing. Winford's memorable achievements included participating in a spelling bee.      When it came to academics and school, Winford's organizational skills reaped dividends. Winford was able to create a system for getting his class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze his schoolwork and assignments, he could apply a practical, common sense approach completing his studies. He was valedictorian of his eighth grade class. He showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which he tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge his own reasoning ability in finding solutions. He attended Jimtown High School in Elkhart, Indiana, and obtained his GED in 1962. He enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was Math. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Mr. Knapp.      The work habits and approaches to studying that Winford utilized in high school also served him well in college. Winford always seemed on a quest for knowledge. He was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for his classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Winford was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. His favorite courses were emergency medicine.      In a group of friends and acquaintances, Winford was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made him very approachable by others throughout his life. This same quality brought Winford the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Winford. He believed that he should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way he wanted to be treated. Winford also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of his friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Bill Powell and others too numerous to name.      As Winford knew in other aspects of his life, he had a clear vision of what he sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On August 7, 1959 Winford exchanged wedding vows with Maxine Mays at the Court House in Clintwood, Virginia. Maxine was a significant part of his life, and it wasn’t necessary for Winford to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Winford's secret to success was that he always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.      Family and children were important to Winford, even if he didn’t always show it. Winford was blessed with six children, five sons, Darrell, Roger, Doug, Duane, and Dewey; one daughter, Katrina. They were also blessed with fifteen grandchildren, Ashley, Rehea, Christopher, Kelly, Jason, Cyle, Jared, Jalen, Joshua, Tanner, Luke, Joshua, Faith, Eliza, and Amanda. Winford was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as he did at work. Winford rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, he was subtle and patient in his dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.      At work Winford was viewed as a natural leader. He could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. He was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Winford was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. He was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Winford might have been described by some as an overachiever, he was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. His primary occupation was co-owner, operator of an amubulance service. He was employed for 25 years with the ambulance service.      Winford was an Army veteran. Through his dedication and hard work, he achieved the rank of Specialist 5. Winford's fellow soldiers knew that he worked well within the system, understanding the importance of rules and striving to follow them. Winford's life approach, much like the Army’s, was all about order.      Not only did Winford find pleasure in pursuing his various hobbies, he also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. His skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. His favorite pursuits were hunting, fishing, golf, and camping.      No matter what the activity was, Winford had the ability to motivate others. This talent influenced his participation in sports, too. He sought out the possibilities in a competitive situation, and he stayed cool and calm under pressure. He relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. In high school, Winford played football. Recreational sports included golf. He was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football.      Winford's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made him a valuable asset to the organizations to which he contributed during his lifetime. Winford was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Winford had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. In high school, Winford was a member of the Debating Team.      Winford lived his life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. His faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. He was a member of the Church of God for 41 years. During that time, he was served as a Deacon and founder of the Food Ministries.      Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Winford to apply his exceptional leadership and organizational skills. He liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. He had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included old car rod runs.      Winford was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Winford's favorites was a Maltese dog. They were best friends for 10 years.      When Winford's retirement finally came in 2003, he was well prepared. He had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what he was going to do. His new life involved relocating to Manchester, Tennessee. In retirement, he found new pleasure in old cars and staying active in church. Always a well-informed person, Winford enjoyed adding to his wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded him the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer him.      Winford passed away on January 31, 2010 at U.T. Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Winford fought a brave battle with a heart condition. He is survived by his wife, Maxine; sons and daughters-in-law, Darrell and Shawna Reed, Roger Reed, Douglas and Patricia Reed, Duane and Crystal Reed, and Dewey Reed. Daughter and son in law, Katrina and Mike Holder; fifteen grandchildren and nine great grandchldren; his mother, Stella Mae Whitaker Reed, two brothers and sisters-in-law, Paul and Jo Ann Reed, Jimmy and Emma Jean Reed; and a sister, Betty Vanover. Services were held at Parrottsville Church of God. Winford was laid to rest in Reed Family Cemetery in Greeneville, Tennessee.      Winford Arthur Reed knew what he wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. He could be characterized as driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Winford was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. He was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If he saw that something needed to be done, he was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.