April 3, 1918 – August 4, 2000
Short history adapted from remarks given at the funeral service August 2000 in Duncan. AZ.
Prepared by Robert Allen Reed and Sharon Reed Gray
Robert Sion Reed was born on Apri3, 1918 in Thatcher, Arizona to Bessie May Fain and Carson Reed. He was born in a small home next to his paternal grandparents, Alabama Evans and Robert Reed. He was the second of five children born to Bessie and Carson. During his childhood the Reed family moved to Los Angeles for a short time. While living there his mother passed away ten months after her baby June was born. R.S. was only five years old at the time of his mother’s death. Shortly thereafter, the family moved back to Thatcher, where the present day John Deere dealer and Animal hospital are located. Some of Dad’s earliest memories were of his Grandpa’s farm where they had bees, chickens, a milk cow and where they raised vegetables in their garden.
The Reed family moved again when he was eight to the Prina farm in Safford near the river. He worked with his father and grandfather on the farm until he was about fifteen years old. For a short time he worked for the Conservation Core on Mount Graham at the Columbine campsite, building roads and installing corrugated pipe for road drainage. “Dad recently told us a story about when he was headed up Mount Graham to the campsite with two other fellows and they were on foot. It was getting kind of late and a truck that was headed toward the camp passed them. The other two guys he was with were able to run and jump on the truck, but he wasn’t fast enough to catch it and ended up all alone walking up the mountain with no light to guide him.”
In 1936, his father bought a farm near Glenwood, New Mexico and R.S. moved there to help work on the farm. He made a number of trips to the town of Mogollon to deliver fresh produce, hogs and chickens that they raised on the farm. This is also where R.S. developed his love of hunting. He spent a lot of his free time in the surrounding mountains hunting for deer. He stayed in Glenwood for a few years before moving to Tucson and then Phoenix to work for his Uncle John Fain and for Rale Singh on their farms.
While in Phoenix, R.S. “Dick” was introduced to Alla Pearl Frost by his sister, June. Alla Pearl was from Snowflake, Arizona and was attending nursing training at St. Joseph’s Hospital where she was June’s roommate. Dick went to work with Phelps Dodge at Morenci June and Alla Pearl came for a weekend visit in July of 1943. A joy ride and a dare later, they were married in Lordsburg, New Mexico on July 8, 1943. Due to a nursing school regulation that required students to be single, it was a year before R.S, and Alla Pearl were able to tell of their marriage to friends and family. Alla Pearl had returned to Phoenix for school and Dick continued to work at Morenci all the time writing each other and keeping their secret.
Dick joined the Navy in December of 1943. He did his training in San Francisco and was trained to be a radar specialist. The remainder of his naval career was spent on a small ship in the South Pacific putting his radar skills to work scrubbing the deck. The Navy had put him on a ship without radar! Fortunately his ship was never involved in any battles and he was bored but saved from battle trauma. The highlight of his Pacific assignment was when he was in Philippines he was able to meet with his brother Alvin and his sister June who were serving there in with the U.S. Army.
He was writing almost daily to Alla Pearl while she was in nurses training in Phoenix, then Fresno and when she worked at the dispensary in McNary. She wanted to join the military to help with the war effort and he tried to persuade her otherwise. She finally joined the Army and was stationed in Walla Walla, Washington. Their letters from this time were their only communication.
After the war and being released from their military assignments, they finally got to live together in Morenci, Arizona where they both worked for Phelps Dodge Corporation. Dick became a welder in the boiler shop and Red became a nurse at the Morenci Hospital.
In 1947, their first child was born, a daughter they named Sharon Pearl. In 1950, a son named Robert Allen and in 1953 as son named Richard Alvin completed their family. Morenci was to be their home for the next thirty-three years.
The family lived in different parts of Morenci, eventually settling in Plantsite at Sunset Street where they lived for over fifteen years. Every year the Reed family planned a major vacation, some of which included Disneyland, Yellowstone National Park, Marineland, Mazatlan Mexico and the World’s Fair in Seattle. Closer to home they also enjoyed camping at Woods Canyon Lake, Black River, Big Lake and the White Mountains.
Dick was an avid outdoorsman and he raised his children to love horses, camping fishing and hunting. They kept horses in the corrals near their Plantsite home.
Dick retired after thirty eight years with Phelps Dodge and moved to a home they had built near Duncan, Arizona on twenty one acres of land. Red retired from the hospital because she was having health problems. Shortly after the move, “Red” passed away on June 4, 1979 and was buried in Snowflake, Arizona.
Several years later he married Mary Bearup Albert and they continued to live at the little ranch near Duncan. They enjoyed the grandchildren and one of the experience that Robert and Sharon’s families remember is the family gathering at Pagosa Springs in 1985? Mary passed away in ..
Soon after that Dick and Doris Goodman began dating. They had been good friends and had dated for a time in 1981, a year before Dad married Mary. Doris encouraged Dad in his religious pursuits and eventually they were married in the LDS Mesa Temple. Eventually Doris’ children, Don, Joe and Linda were all sealed to Dick and Doris. The temple work sealing Alla Pearl to Dick was also performed in the Manti temple with Doris acting as proxy.
They have been very happy and lived in the Duncan ranchette. In early August 2000 Dick suffered a stroke and was flown to Tucson where he died on 4 August 2000 surrounded by his family.
At the funeral of Robert Sion Reed these memories were stated;
Things Dad loved to do:
- Family camp trips with family including grandkids to enjoy the forest and cool mountain air
- As long as Abby (his mule) could pack him he would be hunting
- Hunting trips with friends and family ( Eb Holmes, Bob Carrol, Booger Brownell, sons; Robert and Richard, Bobby and Clay Gomez)
- At age 82 he put in with EB Holmes fro Elk, Antelope and Deer
- His recent trip to Searchlight, Nevada to a Frost Family Reunion with Robert and Derek
- Even after the many years since Red’s death he made it a point to stay in contact with her family. He loved them very much.
- He couldn’t pass by an area without remembering a piece of history; such as his CC experiences on Mt. Graham, the many stories around Glenwood, Catwalk and the Alma Mesa area
- At the drop of a hat he would go with friends like Joe Light on whatever adventure might be in store for the day.
- His trips most mornings to visit Jigs Wagley and others to keep up on the news in the community.
- His daily walks to the school bus stop with Lisa and Lindsey to start their school day.
- He was always concerned and made frequent trips to visit his sisters Helen and Nell.
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