Leonard Reed

Leonard Dale Reed passed away November 15, 2018 at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Idaho. Leonard was born January 7, 1936 in Aurora, Missouri, the second of three children of Lawrence Dewitt Reed and Gladys Sarie Yoachum. As a young child, he moved to New York, Kansas and back to Missouri. Leonard's family then moved to Bakersfield, California in 1949 when he was 13. This is where Len broke his arm at camp on Greenhorn Mountain. He always had the scars where it was pinned (one week after the accident, he was using a hammer and the pins were coming through the cast!) Typical Leonard. It was in 7th grade that he met his sweetheart and first wife, Judy Berniece Minegar. Leonard attended Sierra Union High School where he excelled in woodshop, metal shop and auto shop. He always had a car in the garage as a project or just to work that engine! He graduated in 1955 and entered Fresno Jr. College in Fresno, California in September. Len enlisted in the army in 1956 and served for two years at Fort Lewis, Washington as a radar and radio repairman. During that time, he and Judy married on February 15, 1958 in Fresno, California. After his discharge, Leonard worked as a fireman in Oregon and Montana where daughter Sherri Lynn was born. Several years later in 1962, the small family moved back to California where their second daughter, Terri Lea was born in February of 1964. Leonard went to work for Southern California Edison for 14 years, eventually becoming a power plant operator. After the untimely 1976 death of his daughter Terri from cystic fibrosis, the family moved to Meridian, Idaho in 1978, where wife Judy had family. There Leonard opened up his own business as an auto mechanic. Three years later, Leonard lost his precious wife, Judy. He met his second wife, Jolene Harshbarger Poe in 1984. Len and Jo married in 1995 and enjoyed a long, loving tender relationship. Leonard began driving at Meridian Speedway in 1985 with car #85 and soon become "Uncle Leonard" to the racing fans. He began driving school bus for the West Ada School District (then called Meridian) and drove hundreds of children for almost 25 years, retiring last year at age 81. Len grew up in the Sierra Mountains and enjoyed fishing with the Minegar family, riding motorcycles (dirt bikes), on which he got hurt multiple times. Later he built motorized bikes and you could see him riding all over the place on them! He loved boating, especially teaching people to water-ski. A great deal of time was spent with Terri and her illness, but wherever Leonard was, the one outstanding thing about him was his ability to project his love into action. His kindness and forgiveness was extended unreservedly. Because of this, his realm of friends in many areas of life was vast. You could live by his example because he truly walked the walk. Leonard was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Harley Gene Reed; his first wife, Judy Berniece Minegar Reed; and daughter, Terri Lea Reed. He is survived by his second wife, Jolene Reed of Meridian; daughter, Sherri Lynn Reed of Port Angeles, WA; granddaughter, Miranda Carter and great granddaughter Chloe; sister, Carolyn Sue Galvani Mock (Jim) of Cedro Woolley, WA; brother-in-law, Don Minegar (Marlene) and family of Boise; niece, Susan Lancaster (Burke) of Repton, AL; nephews: Paul Allen Galvani (Katrina) of Monroe, WA and Michael D Galvani of Stanwood, WA; niece, Jeanine Sarie Galvani Curtis (Ken) of Stanwood, WA; many great-nieces and nephews, and special step-niece, husband, and their son: D'Jean, Vern and Casey Cornish of Meridian, ID. *Please see "Service Information" tab for service details.*