Clarence Alfred Reed went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 11, 2024.
He was born to Alfred and Mildred (Trout) Reed on June 3, 1936, Laharpe, IL. On August 11,
1956, he was united in marriage to Alice Faye Jackson, who preceded him in death on June 5,
2010. He was an attentive and excellent caregiver to her for several years before she passed.
He was an intelligent and creative man with many interests and talents. His chief hobby was
collecting, restoring and exhibiting antique gas engines and tractors. With his metal lathes, he
crafted pieces and parts for the engines in his "nice tidy workshop". Calling it tidy was quite a
stretch, because it was anything but; however, he always knew where everything was. The
garage wasn't just a place to work; it was a regular hangout destination for his many friends.
On the home front, Clarence occasionally joined his family in a game of Hearts, Euchre or
Carroms. He bought the Carroms game when he was just 16. The Gingerbread House Restaurant,
less than a block from his home, was a favorite place to chat and joke around with friends and try
to help solve the legend of the Three-Legged Camel.
He and his wife lived very frugally and taught their kids the value of a dollar. Consequently, they
could afford to take the kids on lots of summer vacations and not one of them was ever
disappointed on Christmas morning.
Clarence enjoyed playing jokes on people and he had a distinctive laugh. In fact, anybody who
ever met him quickly learned that the secret to locating him in a crowd was to simply stay put
and listen for that laugh. He was of the Baptist faith and attended the First Baptist Church of
Wayland, MO.
Clarence leaves behind three children; Brian Reed of Warsaw, Ruth (Dale) Comstock, and Tim
(Leanne) Reed, of Loraine, IL. He is also survived by three grandchildren: Samantha Reed,
Ashley Reed, and Shelby (Gage) Cady, two step grandchildren: Kayla Utters and Danielle Utters,
his great grandchildren: Brodie Reed, Silas Reed, and Cillian Cady, one sister, Lula Hendrichsen
of Fairfield IA, as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A graveside service will be held at 10 AM on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at Moss Ridge
Cemetery in Carthage, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist
Church of Wayland, MO. Printy Funeral Home