Birth date: Aug 30, 1942 Death date: Jan 27, 2009
Mr. Gary M. Reed, age 66, spent his first day in heaven on Tuesday, January 27, 2009. He fought a short, but courageous battle with cancer. He was born August 30, 1942 to Lester and Tressie (Cole) Reed in Bear Lake, Michigan. He Read Obituary
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Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services - The Lee Chapel
6291 Harvey St., Norton Shores MI 49444
Mr. Reed was my High School Newspaper teacher. His encouragement, mentorship, and kindness will never be forgotten. He made an imprint on my young life that will never be forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Ingrid##imported-begin##Ingrid McKenzie Kellaghan##imported-end##
I am so sorry for your loss. You are in my thoughts and prayers.##imported-begin##Tom Lensegrav##imported-end##
In high school I was a shy boy who wanted, more than anything else, to write, and to be something better than shy. In his creative writing classes Gary encouraged me to write. He became my most important reader, and he convinced the editor of the Norton Examiner that she needed me as a reporter. I learned that I could write feature articles, and that I could do the necessary leg work and - yes, despite an almost crippling initial anxiety - that I could interview a visiting poet or a gas-station owner or a customer at Meijer's. These skills proved invaluable to me as a college student, and as a high-school English and Spanish teacher. Gary encouraged me to become the person I wanted to be. This fifty-two-year-old man and that shy teenager thank him very much.##imported-begin##Matthew Anderson##imported-end##
Our hearts go out to you during this difficult time. Big Gar will always be remembered with a smile! We're thinking of all of you.
Love, Heather and Mark Mills##imported-begin##Mark and Heather Mills##imported-end##
Mrs. Reed & Family
I send my deepest sympathies to all of you in your loss.
I was a former student of Mr. Reed back in 1977. I was fortunate to be in both his yearbook and creative writing classes.
I have to say that he went beyound the call of just being the teacher in the classroom; he showed he genuinely cared about the individual by taking time to listen.
Gone but never forgotten, his gentle, caring nature and his willingness to reach out will always be fondly remembered.
My prayers are with you during this sad time and may God give you his peace.
Sincerely,
Connie Schulte##imported-begin##Mrs. Connie Schulte (Zadonick)##imported-end##
Dear Reed family,
I remember Mr. Reed from Mona Shores. Although I did not have him as a teacher, his legacy lives on in the work he did for each and everyone one of us who were students there and have yearbooks to look back and remember those days of our youth. I had the pleasure of "doing business" on eBay with Mr. Reed, finding some of those treasures he found in estate sales while I was doing genealogy research. I can not describe how special it was to share with my Dad a church booklet that had photos of his father, sister, and grandparents....special because many photos of his family were lost in a fire many years ago. Mr. Reed made special accommodations for me to stop by the house to pick up some of my purchases when I was back in Muskegon for a visit a few years ago. He even sent me refund a few months ago for shipping and handling because I purchased multiple items in separate auctions. He was so thoughtful. Although our lives only touched in brief moments as we crossed paths, I will remember his kindness. I am so sorry for your loss and pray that you will be comforted by the many stories and memories you will be sharing in the days to come and how many lives he touched by all that he did.
With kindest regards,
Diane (Barr) Brace
Centreville, VA
MSHS class of 1976##imported-begin##Diane (Barr) Brace##imported-end##
My thought are with your family at this time of your loss. I have many great memories of our working together.##imported-begin##Michael Voss##imported-end##
Big Gar!! You only let certain folks that suffered through yearbook get away with that nick name! The lesson you tought me about being a better person stay with me to this day. I might not of always understood back in the day, but your words still impact my life today! Thank you for always being strict but with a smile! God Speed, and may your family be wrapped in a blanket of warm memories. Beth Miklovich##imported-begin##Beth Stein-Miklovich##imported-end##
I recently met your husband and father at the Red Cross where I volunteer. He was truly a "kindered sprit". His students comments reinforce that.H##imported-begin##Lisa Bush##imported-end##
I'm really sorry that he had to leave this earth so soon. He was my newspaper advisor from 1986-88 and I consider him to be my "favorite" teacher of all time. He treated kids with respect and humor, and drove us pretty hard to succeed. I'm so glad we won the Spartan Award together!##imported-begin##Kristi (Bialik) Kortman##imported-end##
