John “Jim” James Reed, 89, was born on Valentine’s Day 1933 in Flint, to Edward and Hortense Reed (née Brown).
He died peacefully at his home of 41 years in Clarkston on December 28, 2022, cared for by his wife Barbara Reed (née Moleski), whom he loved dearly, and their four sons Jon (Sue), Dan (Cindy), Andy (Joni), and Bob (Diane).
Jim married Barb in 1953 and, with her, left a legacy of love, stubbornness, and integrity to those four sons, as well as six grandchildren: Eric (Rachel), Sara
(Matt), Leah (Chris), Jim (Colleen) Jeremiah, and Matt, two great-grandsons, Xander and Ben, his many friends and those lucky enough to have voluntarily joined Jim’s extended family.
Jim graduated from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, and from Wayne State University in the 1960s with a master’s degree in Business Administration. Jim’s professional career included 34 years of service at General Motors, as well as work for the State of Michigan, and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.
He served his community as an active volunteer and advocate, helping pass the Michigan bottle bill in the 1970s, and putting his shoulders to the grindstone with Voters Not Politicians, Independence Goes Green, Clinton River Cleanup, and Friends of the Library (Clarkston), as well as serving nine years on the board and two years as president of the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy (now Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy).
Jim’s great love of the outdoors could not be contained; he taught and inspired others to enjoy our nation’s forests and rivers (especially his beloved Pigeon River country), hunting, canoeing, fishing, water skiing, and cross-country
skiing. And he could just as well sit intently with a book, at the Detroit Opera, or with a deck of cards, as a longtime Silver Life Master in Duplicate Bridge with the American Contract Bridge League. A member of the Monday Morning Geezer Group, Jim helped solve the world’s problems with coffee and friends, and contributed his memories to their book, “One Cup at a Time,” published in 2016. As Jim wrote, “along the way, there have been some interesting stops and some indelible memories.” Thank you for the indelible memories, Jim.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on February 4 at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 7234 Fenton Road, Grand Blanc. A memorial luncheon will be served at 12 p.m. at Brick Street of Grand Blanc, 1223 E. Grand Blanc Road, Grand Blanc.
If you would like to make a difference in Jim’s honor, please consider donating to the Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy (blueheronheadwaters.org/donate), Doctors without Borders, or to one of the many partners of the ForestService (fs.usda.gov/working-withus/donations).