Michael W. Reed

Michael Walter Reed, 80, resident of Grain Valley, MO, passed away on September 19th,

surrounded by his loved ones. Private funeral services will be held for the family.

A public celebration of life will be held Sunday, October 20th at the Blue Springs Elks Lodge (#2509) in Blue Springs, MO, from 2pm-6pm in the lower area.

Mike was born August 29th, 1944, in Du Quoin, Illinois, the son of Jack L. and Vera P. Reed and nephew of Gladys Chamness. He was a beloved autobody teacher at the Fort Osage Vo-Tech/CTC, retiring in 2006 after 33 years of service. Mike taught everything from car repairs to life survival skills, and he cherished the time with his many students in and out of the classroom. Everyone who knew him knew how caring and ornery he was in everything he did. Most importantly, Mike loved his family and spent as much time with them as he could and even more time thinking about them.

Mike’s survivors include his wife of 57 years, Cleta Reed; two children: Dawn Kramer (Brad) of Independence, MO, and Shawn Reed (Jessica) of Grain Valley, MO; and four grandchildren: Skyler, Tanner, Logan, and Barrett. Mike was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He will be remembered by all the many lives he touched throughout his long life.

Arrangements:  Royer Funeral Home, Grain Valley, MO   816-847-4441

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. John Groom

    24 Sep 2024 Reply

    Mr. Reed was a great man, teacher, and friend to many. I will cherish the memories made with him.

  2. Betty Ripple

    24 Sep 2024 Reply

    Mr Reed welcomed and mentored everyone, not just the auto body students. Several of us would sneak out of our class in VoTech and go down to his class and hang out for a bit. He was so kind and funny. You touched a lot of lives sir, A LOT of lives!

  3. Carol Anders

    24 Sep 2024 Reply

    I’m so very sorry to hear this. Mr. Reed was my brother and I’s instructor in Auto body at Vo-tech. He was a great instructor and friend after graduation. He will be missed by so many. Lots of great memories of putting cars in the Bartle Hall car shows.❤️❤️❤️

  4. Kingsley Sutch

    24 Sep 2024 Reply

    Mr. Reed was not a teacher of mine as I took auto mechanics at vo-tech but I spent a lot of time in the body shop until I got caught. I new him pretty good and stayed in touch with him. He started my sophomore year and we all had him for 2 weeks in survey of vo-tech where he taught me how to take a dent out of a fender. Great man.

  5. Cory Miles

    20 Oct 2024 Reply

    He was my best teacher in school but also a great teacher on character and hard work. He will be missed by many.

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