James Kenneth Reed Obituary
ATTENTION: The service has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 7 at 2:00 PM at Little Rock Free Will Baptist Church in Locust Grove with burial of cremains following at HOgan CEmetery in Locust Grove.
James Kenneth "Beau" Reed was born on December 16, 1950 in Vinita, Oklahoma to Joseph Monroe Reed Sr. and Shirley Geraldine (Bruce) Reed. He passed away on August 11, 2021 in Neodesha, Kansas at the age of 70.
Beau grew up and attended school in Vinita. As a high school student he played the tuba in the marching band and graduated with the class of 1969. He worked on a neighbor's farm, hauling hay and doing other farm jobs while still in high school. He was also a Boy Scout and was able to travel with his troop to Canada for a canoeing trip while he was in high school. He was able to get a band scholarship from Oklahoma State University and went on to attend school there.
Beau was a professional truck driver for all his adult life; he worked for Air Products in Pryor for 35 years, retiring in 2014. While working there he was recognized for his outstanding driving record, no traffic tickets or accidents for more than 3 million miles, making him the 2nd highest rated driver at Air Products, nationwide, and he was presented with the "3 Million Mile Safe Driving" Award; he was very proud of this accomplishment.
Beau married Carolyn Sue (Gann) Eades on June 4, 1999 and made their home in Pryor. He was a member of the Little Rock Free Will Baptist Church in Locust Grove since 2000 and he loved attending church, going to singings and helping anywhere he could.
In his spare time, he always enjoyed anything having to do with being outdoors. He loved hunting and fishing and had a love and affection for pigs. He had a wonderful sense of humor and was always joking around but he was also a very kind, thoughtful and well-liked person. He also loved spending time with his family and enjoyed watching football.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, of the home; son, Barry Reed and wife Melissa of Pryor; two daughters, Toni Conway and husband Tony of Peggs and Stephanie McKenzie and husband Shawn of Chelsea; five grandchildren, Josh Pilant of Peggs, Kendall Reed of Pryor, Dalton Bywater of Chelsea, Hannah Bywater of Claremore and Shiloh McKenzie of Chelsea; brother, Joe Reed Jr. of Vinita; sister-in-law, Mary Reed of Vinita; niece, Jo Ann Reed of California; three nephews, Tommy Reed Jr. of Vinita, Brian Reed and wife Nao of Colorado and John Reed and wife Amanda of Vinita and two life-long friends, Barry Denny and Lazlo Meszaro.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Geraldine Reed; brother, Tom Reed; grandson, Caleb Downing; sister-in-law, Barbara Reed and life-long friends, Dickie Nelson and Lawrence and Pearl Freeman.
