Larry Reed, born in Berkley, California, a former longtime resident of Kemmerer, and current resident of Aurora, Colorado, passed away after a long battle with MS on Thursday, June 22, at the age of 80.
Larry is survived by his sister, Margret Doe; son, Kris Reed; daughter, Brandy Reed; grandchildren, Ashley, Makayla, and Kameron Reed; and his great-grandchildren, Leia, Cole, Jayda and Mila.
Larry was born in Kemmerer on Feb. 2, 1943, to Glenn Dee Reed and Margret Phyllis Cousins. He graduated from Kemmerer High School prior to attending law school at UC Berkley in 1961. He left college to return home to care for his mom, who was dying of cancer.
He remained in Kemmerer, working construction across Wyoming as a heavy equipment operator, building several of the major highways including portions of I-80. He then went on to work at FMC Skull Point Mine.
He married Collette Thomas in 1972, and he adopted her two children, Dawndy and Jason. He had two more children, Brandy and Kris. Larry went on to serve as the elected Skull Point Mine Union head negotiator. He was very proud to represent the union in Washington, D.C., where he successfully negotiated on behalf of his coworkers.
While working at FMC, he also ran his own company, Knotched Trowel LLC, where he installed flooring in the Kemmerer LDS Church, the Kemmerer High School, and Kemmerer Middle School library. He also served the community as an LDS church leader, Scoutmaster and volunteer in many capacities.
After 27 years at Skull Point, he retired. His retirement was short-lived as he worked as a park ranger at Fossil Butte National Monument. Although not formally educated, he completed the FINRA requirements to become a professional day trader and went on to form Western WY Trading LLC.
Larry was an avid outdoorsman who loved skiing, hiking, boating and hunting. He was known for attending various Native American rendezvous, reloading and hunting. He was most notably remembered for his volunteer work as a Scoutmaster, as he provided mentorship to many of the young men in Kemmerer between 1980 and 1989.
He volunteered routinely to chaperone the boys to National Jamborees, Lake New Fork Summer Camp, and camping expeditions (in both summer and winter). He mentored two of the youngest Eagle Scouts in the history of the state in Kemmerer’s small program (Doug Plaisted and Kris Reed), both receiving their Eagle Scout awards at age 12.
Additionally, he was a mentor in the Order of the Arrow program and provided guidance to hundreds of young men over the years. This included hosting an international exchange student from Poland.
At the age of 45, he returned to college and graduated from Western Wyoming with his associate’s degree. At the age of 52, MS caused him to move in with family where he remained until his passing.
A graveside service took place at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 29, at the South Lincoln Cemetery in Diamondville, where he was laid to rest next to his parents. Bishop Travis Haslem officiated.
