John Joseph Reed, Jr., 74, passed away Sunday, March 29, 2020, after a hard fight with the coronavirus COVID-19. John leaves behind his daughter Rebecca (Lyndon) Linville and grandchildren Sydney, Isaac and Gunnar of Olympia, WA; and son Justin (Heather) Reed and grandchildren Madeline and Harrison of Edmonds, WA. Also surviving him are brothers Michael (Barbara) Reed, Ronald (Vicki) Reed, and sister Nancy (Alan) Stephenson as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins; his late wife’s family; and countless friends. John was preceded in death by his wife Gretchen, his parents, John and Gloria Reed, and his brothers Kenneth, Gerald and Roger Reed. John was born in Galveston, TX, on April 22, 1945. He grew up in La Marque, TX. In 1967, John joined the United States Army and was a 2nd Lieutenant stationed at Fort Lewis when he went on a blind date with Gretchen Helen Edmonds, a student at Pacific Lutheran University and, as they say, the rest is history. They married on February 28, 1969, shortly before John was sent to Vietnam. When John returned from Vietnam and after Gretchen’s graduation from PLU, John and Gretchen moved to Houston, Texas where John attended the University of Houston, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1971 and becoming a CPA shortly after. John worked as an accountant for a firm in Houston and, after the birth of their daughter, Rebecca, moved his family to Washington State in January 1977, settling in the city of Edmonds. In 1979 they welcomed son Justin into the world. John retired in 2014 after 25 years as a financial consultant with the law firm Oles, Morrison, Rinker u0026 Baker. John was a family man and spent a lot of time driving between Edmonds and Olympia, where he enjoyed doing puzzles with his grandchildren as well as attending their sporting events, musicals, plays and just generally being a supportive dad and grandpa. John was also very involved in his adopted hometown of Edmonds. He was president of the Alliance of Citizens for Edmonds (ACE) from 2006 to 2019, having retired from his role only a few months ago. He was serving as a member of the Edmonds Citizens Housing Commission and was a former member of the Edmonds Planning Board. John was passionate about retaining Edmonds’ small-town atmosphere and livability and donated a significant amount of time to supporting these efforts. Funeral arrangements will be made once restrictions are lifted for gatherings and family and friends can safely assemble. Should you wish to make a donation in John’s honor, please consider donating to support the current efforts to treat COVID-19 patients, the medical professionals helping them, or other charity supporting coronavirus relief efforts.
In Memoriam