Eddie Lee Reed

He attended public school in Tuscaloosa, AL He was often referred to as smart or bright by many. He has always been ambitious, determined (stubborn) well groomed, and a very hard worker. As a very young man he was a truck driver for the White Tulip Flour Company in Tuscaloosa, AL. Early on he married Pinkie Lee Reed (Johnson) and moved to Brighton AL.

Eddie has always expressed his love for the Lord. In Brighton, he was baptized in the Peace Baptist Church and sang in the choir until he moved to Los Angles, California (LA). In LA he resumed his education and earned his GED. After receiving his GED, he was hired by the City of LA as a truck driver and later worked as a Shop Manager for Shaffer Trucking Co in Fontana CA, but his dream was always to become a business owner - and he did. He saved and borrowed money, purchased his own truck and became an owner/operator and a landlord. He owned land plus he owned and managed several single and multi-family homes.

For health reasons due (in part) to a job-related injury, he retired and moved back to Tuscaloosa, AL. However, due to his inability to remain idle, rest, or just keep still, he reached back into entrepreneur skills and created a job for himself by reaching out and soliciting his service to an untapped market in that area – which was selling wooden pallets. He built, refurbished, sold and delivered wooden pallets to local businesses for many years. He was a member of Elizabeth Baptist Church and joined the senior choir; He remained there until his health began to decline. Dr. Vernon Swift was his pastor.

Eddie could have been called “Mr. Personality,” or the “Man of Many Hats.” He was smart, articulate, a quick thinker, quick witted, and gifted with skillful hands that could build or fix anything he set his mind to (at least he thought he could). Really, he was an auto mechanic; a carpenter; concrete/cement mason; shop manager, Master CDL operator/trainer, and a successful businessman and entrepreneur. Eddie had extraordinary people skills and never met a stranger. Once anyone met Eddie Lee Reed, they would never forget him - he left an everlasting impression. He was a natural born entertainer with the gift to gab. He could pleasantly and discreetly navigate his way through and get anyone’s attention regardless of age, race, creed or color. This coupled with his incredible ability to remember in depth details and facts about everything, everybody and every place he’d ever traveled; enabled him to brighten up any ones day by telling funny jokes or stories, giving history lessons, talking about how good his GOD is, or merely revealing his age to you and then all of a sudden jump up and do a jumping jack, or touch his toes merely to flaunt the fact that he still had it - his good health.

Eddie lived a good, full, and exciting life – he was his own person and did things his way, he was basically a happy man. Whenever asked how he was doing, he would usually answer “just right,” tell you how good GOD is, how GOD shows out by keep on blessing him, and how much he loves GOD: He would then proceed to walk away with his hands behind his back. The following attributes of Eddie’s character exemplified the man he was: He was thankful, a man of good character; he loved Jesus Christ, and his fellow man, his willingness to help anyone; his ability to speak his mind-whether good or bad; and lastly, his love for his profession. He drove trucks for over 50 years and mentored many family members which lead them to become successful and maintain a good quality of life. Oh, high up on this list should be his insatiable appetite for rice 24/7 - with every meal. He often said, “If you’re eating without rice, you are not eating at all.” Eddie epitomized the meaning of a phrase taught to me by my grandmother: “A smiling face and a helping hand, outweighs the riches in all the land.” His presence will be truly missed but his memories will live in our hearts forever.

He was preceded in death by his Parents:, Pleas and Callie Reed; Brother: Johnny L Reed, 3 Sons: Willie L. Reed, Randall Reed, and Eddie L. Reed Jr. 3 Daughters: Ethel M. Reed, Cecelia A. Reed, and Cornelius A. Reed (Nennie).

Eddie is survived by; Wife, Pinkie Reed, (shobbie); 5 Daughters; Eddie Pearl Reed-Bowden, (twin sons); Stephanie Hood, (1 son); DePleas Foxx (2 daughters and 1 son); Gloria Willis, Rosia Jeanette Hutchins; 3 Sons; Johnny Reed (1 daughter), Robert Reed, Paul Reed, and a special nephew Darryl VanHoose; 5 Sisters; Hattie Reed, Mattie Gee, Dorothy Reed, Eliza Brown, Pearl M Washington; 3 Brothers: Tommy L. Reed, and Willie L Reed. A host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends and a special sister in Christ, Ms. June Barnett.