Mary Louise (Meile) Reed

On July 22, 2022, Mary Louise Reed passed away at her home in Hallsville, Missouri. Mary Lou was born on November 17, 1933 in Wanblee, South Dakota, to Henry Andrew Meile and Rosemary Josephine Gertrude (Kelling) Meile.

As a girl, Mary Lou loved art, music and horses. Her mother attempted to teach her domestic household skills, but she was more of a romantic. One such skill was ironing. Mary Lou said that her mother ironed everything, and that after she left home she never wanted to iron again.

As a young woman, while she was attending Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon, she met and dated a very handsome young Airman, named Thomas Lee Reed. The two fell in love and were married on May 8, 1954. While living in Portland they had their first two children; their third child was born in Seattle, Washington; their fourth and fifth were born in Arkansas; their sixth was born in Alabama; then to Missouri for the seventh; and lastly back to Oregon where their eighth and final child was born. Mary Lou often joked that she was going to name each of the last three caboose because she thought they were the last one.

After their eighth child was born, they lived in Springfield Oregon, and Mary Lou completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon, in Eugene. In the 1970’s she was active in the art community in Eugene, and spent many years studying art at Maude Kerns Art Center.

In 1982 Mary Lou, Tom, and their two youngest girls moved to Birch Tree, Missouri, to be closer to Tom’s father in Arkansas. A few years later Mary Lou began teaching art in K-12 for the local school district. After her retirement from teaching, Mary Lou and Tom later moved to Sarcoxie, Missouri to be near Kelly Renee Reed. Mary Lou was again active in the art community at artCentral in Carthage, Missouri, where she held several art shows.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her loving husband of 66 years, Thomas Lee Reed, who passed away on September 4. 2020. She also lost her number four child, Kevin Andrew Reed on January 20, 2022. She is survived by seven children, Anthony Keith Reed; Karen Reed Brannen; Kerry Venice (Reed) Gilbreth; Kristopher Bryan Reed; Thomas Kirby Reed; Kelly Renee Reed; Karol Anne (Reed) Ford; seven grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Bernard H. Meile, and her sister, Philomina Anne Meile.

Per her wishes, Mary Lou’s and her loving husband’s remains will be buried in the Kelling Family Cemetery in Kadoka, South Dakota.

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