William Turner Reed Jr.

William Turner Reed Jr. (Bill) was born Oct 5, 1944, in El Centro, CA and left us on March 14, 2023 in Tacoma, WA. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Turner Reed Sr., Evelyn Jean Martin Reed & half-sister Marilyn Reed Burkhardt (Ray). Survived by his wife of 48 years, Linda Tieman, daughter Jeanne Tieman-Reed McCool (Jon) and granddaughter Fiona Reed McCool. Bill loved El Centro, with its clear desert skies, the moon and shooting stars, picnics in the desert, the roadrunners, and his friends, some of whom he kept all his life. He developed his love of baseball playing Pop Warner ball in El Centro. His spirit broke a bit when the family moved to San Diego in 1958 after his father has a dispute with his employer, but he learned to love the beach though he never learned to swim. He lettered in baseball and football at Mission Bay High School, graduating in 1962. He played baseball at Palomar Junior College & Westmont College, transferring to San Diego State University where he graduated with a BA in history, English and Social Studies in 1968. He worked at a variety of jobs, took up running, and finished the San Diego Marathon in 1975. Bill began writing poetry and short stories early. He spent time in Micronesia (Chuuk) in the early years of the Peace Corps. He & Linda were together since the night they met in 1974; they traveled the US for a year, and later Europe for 10 months. His pride was their daughter Jeanne, born in 1981. Bill and Jeanne had a special bond, loving language, cooking, literature, and humor. When the family moved to Upper Arlington, OH Bill began writing daily, creating a series of mysteries. He wrote occasional pieces for the Columbus Dispatch, and worked for Warner Cable Co. Moving to University Place, WA he worked at North Pacific (now Heritage) bank for 20 years. He continued to write daily and achieved his goal, publishing “Expatriates in Paris” an historical mystery about Paris in the 20’s. Bill was an avid jazz fan since he was a teenager. He also loved classical music, opera, cowboy (“not country”) and Hawaiian music. He appreciated art, museums, live music performances, spicy kimchi, walking at Chambers Bay, and hugs. Bill was a handsome, sweet, kind man, initially shy but quickly warming to people. An extravert waiting to get out of the introvert’s persona. Humor and laughter were important to him. While he liked to read, he had an undiagnosed reading disability that made reading challenging all his life. The family thanks the staff at Kaiser-Permanente-WA for excellent, kind, coordinated care, the staff at the Weatherly Inn in Tacoma for their special care for Bill’s final years, and the expertise of Wesley Hospice Services. No services are planned but Bill would want you to raise a glass at sunset and be happy for having had a good life, good friends, and love. And he’d say, “keep walking.” Bill asked for contributions to the Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum. In Memory of William T. Reed Jr 373 E. Aten Rd. Imperial, CA 92251 http://www.pioneersmuseum.net/ 760-352-1165