April 20, 1922 – November 10, 2010
A much-loved matriarch of a large, extended family, Mary E. Reed passed away early on the morning of Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at the home of her nephew and his wife, Mike and Linda Boyd, in Portland, OR. She was 88 years old.
Mary was born near Foster, MO, on April 20, 1922. She was the first of five children of Francis L. Boyd and Emilie Parlier. She grew up in and around Foster and graduated from Rich Hill High School in 1940. In June, 1944, the family moved to Portland, OR. After the family arrived, Mary married Forrest L. Hutchison (Les) in Vancouver, WA on July 1, 1944 while he was on medical leave from the US Marines. Mary lived and worked in St. Louis, MO while Les completed his military service.
At the end of the war, Mary and Les came back to Oregon and lived on a farm near Sweet Home to be near Mary’s family. But the marriage did not survive and Les returned to Missouri. By this time, Mary was working for the City of Sweet Home. There she met her second husband, William Conard Reed (Bill). They were married in Stevenson, WA on Dec. 21, 1960. Living in Portland, Bill worked as a construction contractor and Mary ran the front office for Columbia Neon Co. The two of them were early pioneers in the practice of buying, rehabbing and selling houses. After retiring, Bill died in 1988. Mary was still working for Ebb Tide Enterprises right up to her final illness.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bill; stepsons, Connie and Bob Reed; and her younger brother, Sandy Boyd. She is survived by her sisters, Sue (Leslie) Swope and Virginia Marshall; brother, David (Ruth) Boyd; sisters-in-law, Donna Boyd and Marguerite (Sheridan ) Arnold; and stepson, Tom Reed.
Too numerous to list are the many grandchildren, nieces and nephews, loving friends and neighbors who were part of Mary’s life.
Mary did not want a funeral or memorial service. Her ashes will be buried with her husband Bill in a private ceremony at Gilliland Cemetery in Sweet Home, OR. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial contribution be made to the charity of your choice.