Ricky Reed

A Servant of Mankind

Obituary

Ricky Alan Reed

April 13, 1960 to July 13, 2024

Ricky was born to Robert Charles Reed and Naomi (Stokoe, Gregg) Reed in Bend, Oregon, April 13, 1960. Unfortunately his father drowned when Ricky was five years old, but his mother worked diligently to support her three boys, Bob, Val and Ricky. (His two half-sisters, Karon and Karel, were gone and married by this time.} 

 After high school he became a cook in a German restaurant in Bend. Thus began one of his three major directions in his life. He loved to cook, and did a great job. No matter whose home, or which church, their kitchen was a magnet to Ricky, and within two minutes he would be mixing a bowl or stirring a pot of something, cleaning up the dishes afterward.

Then about 1991 his mother became ill. Ricky was at her side, checking her medicines, monitoring her oxygen, and tending to her every need. Thus began a second major direction in Ricky’s life—care giving. And he was excellent at it: he anticipated the person’s needs, never balking at unpleasant duties, nor reacting to combative behavior. When Naomi died, July, 1993, he migrated across the mountains to Eugene to care for Karon’s father in law, Harvey Chapman. Dad was in the throes of Parkinsonism. Ricky picked up the gardening, cooking, firewood chores that Dad could no longer do. He and Mom together could get Dad back on his feet when he fell. When Dad passed on, September, 1997, Ricky stayed on with Mom in Eugene, and then Lowell. He became Mom’s driver in her smart little red car she was so proud of. Think: “Driving Miss Daisy.” During this time he became very active in the Norkenzie Christian Church, chairman of the ushers.

He went three different times with Mom to visit sister, Karon, and husband, Bob, in Turkana, Kenya. There he helped feed starving babies and old folk, helped vaccinate children, build a church building, and was a helping hand in many and various projects. There in November, 1997, he went down to the river with a group of Africans and family, and was the first one baptized that day.

Then as Mom became more and more disabled, Ricky took over her personal care. He gave exemplary care of this failing woman until the day of her death, in July, 2011. Her three children called him “Saint Ricky.” 

Following a crushing diagnosis, May, 2022, he underwent medications, treatments, procedures, and held up well for a couple of years. During this time he continued his yard maintenance for two elderly ladies needing lots of help. This became Ricky’s third major direction in his life. His many flowers are still blooming.

During this time of treatments, he left his home in Lowell and joined his sister, Karon, and Bob in Eugene. Gradually failing, none the less he continued helping in the kitchen, the yard and with computers needing coaxing. Finally, in May, 2024, Hospice stepped in to help. Nurses, social workers, hospital staff were wonderful to him. He spent his last four days in their hospice house.

We miss him, but are confident that his faith is true. Ricky is starting a new and better chapter.