Leila J. Reed

Leila J. Reed, 88, formerly of Metz, passed away Friday, Feb. 25, 2005, at Oak Grove Nursing and Rehab in Oak Grove, Mo.

Mrs. Reed was born June 11, 1916, in Great Falls, Mont., to Homer and Hazel Myer Meek. Soon after, the family moved to northern Colorado where she grew up and graduated from high school. She spent six years working for the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco, Calif., before moving to Kansas City, Mo., to work for the Federal Reserve there. In October of 1948 she married Carl Dean Reed of Hume. They resided on a farm three and a half miles west of Metz until the death of her husband in 1978. She later relocated to a home in Metz when she lived until no longer able to care for herself. She then moved into care units first at Balanced Care of Nevada, then to Moore-Few where she stayed until the death of her son, Donald. In April of 2003, she relocated to Oak Grove to be near her other two children.

Mrs. Reed was an active member of the Metz Christian Church until she was no longer able to stay in her home. She was known for her love of family, her hospitality, and her sense of humor, which she maintained until the last days of her life.

There were three children, Donald Lee, who preceded her in death; Cathy Geaty, who resides with her husband, Donnie, at rural Mayview, Mo.; and Carl Douglas, who resides with his wife, EsSema, in Kansas City, Kan. In addition to her two children and their spouses, she is also survived by seven grandchildren, Don Reed, El Dorado Springs, Mo., Trudy Smith, Nevada, Mike Shaw and Vicki Morreale, of Kansas City North, Mo., Anne Geary Goolsby and her husband, Anthony, of Mayview, Mo., Joey Geary of Odessa, Kan., Meagan Reed, Kansas City, Kan.; and five great-grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by one brother, Roger Meek; and one sister, "Dot" Sheetz, both of Colorado.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 28, at the Metz Methodist Church, Metz, with Randy Handly officiating. Interment will follow in Pryor Creek Cemetery west of Metz. Friends may call now and until 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the funeral home. The family will receive friends at the church at 10 a.m., Monday, Feb. 28, and until the hour of service.

Memorials should be made to City Union Mission, a homeless shelter in Kansas City which Mrs. Reed supported for many years.