Laurence "Zeke" Reed's Obituary
Laurence "Zeke" Reed
Born on the family farm in Stanton, Michigan on May 15, 1936, he was the son of the late John N. and Almeda (Peska) Reed. Laurence "Zeke" passed away on December 4, 2019 from complications associated with a fall he suffered in his garage in October.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Shirley (McConkie) Reed, and his two daughters, Kelly Reed Lucas (Joseph) and Tracey L. Reed. He is also survived by his brother, John Reed, and sister, Loretta Hindenlaing, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and many life-long friends. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, Lester Reed and Cecil Reed, and his sisters, Madolyn Moon, Esther MacLaren, and Fladella ("Fay") Smith. Zeke became like an adopted son to his in-laws, Raymond and Lela (Hansen) McConkie, both of whom predeceased him. The McConkie family is large, like his own, as Shirley is the oldest of nine children. He leaves behind several of Shirley's siblings: Emma Jean McConkie (Jean), Joan Vaughn (Jack), Sharon Hey, Judy Henderson (Elton), Brenda Shuler (Dan) and James McConkie (Dawn) and was predeceased by her brothers, Robert McConkie (Karan) and Albert McConkie. "Uncle Zeke" was a beloved member of both the Reed and McConkie families and his presence and humor at family gatherings will be forever missed.
Zeke LOVED life, corny jokes, green-fried tomatoes, baling hay in his younger years, westerns (no movie was good unless it had a horse in it), fishing, hunting and hot summer days. Having grown up on a farm as a child, he was determined to provide the same life for his children. In 1961, he and Shirley bought a remodeled field-stone school house in Edmore, MI situated on 80 acres of ground, half of which was wooded. From there, he raised his girls with Shirley, farming the land and running his own dairy operation from nearby. He eventually sold the herd and continued farming for himself and others until he hired in as a machinist at a warehouse in Alma, MI. He worked there until he was injured on the job and retired.
Zeke was also an outdoorsman at heart. He loved animals and nature, and fishing was a favorite pasttime for him. He shunned campgrounds with modern conveniences in favor of "roughing it" at places like Backus Lake where there were no outhouses or electricity. He enjoyed mushroom hunting in the spring when he could spend hours in the woods, observing nature and enjoying the fresh air.
Zeke and Shirley eventually retired to Houghton Lake where they owned a cottage on the North Shore and lived there for over 25 years. They eventually acquired the next-door cottage which Zeke renovated into a workshop for himself. From there he would spend endless hours welding and crafting trailers from scratch, modifying his pontoon boat to include a built-in trailer, fashioning his own personal moped with a souped up motor and various other projects too numerous to describe in detail. He was especially proud to hold a patent on a mechanized trailer of his own design. He was happiest when working in his garage on a new "project".
In 2014, at the behest of his daughters, he and Shirley moved back to the Vestaburg area and settled in a small house situated between where Kelly and Tracey live. He again took over the garage at the new place to continue tinkering on his projects, often with his brother, John, by his side.
He had a truly generous, compassionate soul and a wonderful sense of humor. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
A memorial service for Zeke will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. at Brigham Funeral Chapel in Edmore, 413 E. Gilson Street Edmore, Mi. 48829 with Pastor Bruce Anna officiating. The family will greet friends starting at 10:00 A.M. until the start of the service. Memorial contributions can be made to the American Heart Association or Mid Michigan Humane Society. Condolences to the family may be made utilizing the guestbook at www.brighamfuneralchapel.com
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