Frances Lorene Reed's Obituary
Frances Lorene Reed, age 97, a resident of Fayetteville, Ark., peacefully passed away to Heaven in her sleep on Friday, December 29, 2023. She was born June 16, 1926, in Marble City, Okla., the youngest of seven children of Fannie Mae Henderson and Ben Ester Tune.
Frances was a homemaker, seamstress, piemaker, and volunteer known for her generosity, creativity, and selflessness. She perfected these skills and traits as a sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
As soon as Penn Reed got off the train that brought him home from Europe after WWII, he called Frances to let her know he was back. They married soon after in July of 1946, having exchanged letters throughout his military service. Together they poured out their lives to provide a loving home for their children, Randy, and Tammi.
From home she helped her husband with bookkeeping for Luper & Reed Wrecker Service and later John Reed Company, and often served as the lead vehicle whose taillights he followed as he transported winch trucks and wreckers he bought in Tulsa.
Employed briefly as a seamstress at Trumbo’s in the Northwest Arkansas Mall, she had sewn since she was a child. Relatives and friends were the beneficiaries of clothes she made, furniture she upholstered, and costumes requested by grandchildren. As the daughter of a craftsman employed at the University of Arkansas, she inherited his skill at finding solutions to any problem and exercising her creativity in a myriad of helpful ways.
Frances and Penn enjoyed waterskiing at Lake Wedington and Beaver Lake, traveling to visit their children and grandchildren, and attending Razorback football and basketball games. After his death 25 years ago, she continued to cheer on her grandchildren, attending all their high school graduations and weddings, then sewing “drag-along” quilts for each of her 11 great grandchildren.
As a member of First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, she taught in the nursery, first as a young mother, and again from 1983 to 1998 as a grandmother who believed “you should never let a baby cry it out.” Other roles at FBC included ministry to families alongside her husband in his role as a deacon, helping with memorization of hymns in children’s choir, cooking for Vacation Bible School and the youth ministry, hosting the Andrew Club visitation team in their home, participating in Stashbuster’s Quilting, and serving on the History Committee.
Frances also volunteered at Cooperative Emergency Outreach distributing food, then served for 20 years at the front desk of Washington Regional Medical Center assisting visitors. Throughout adulthood she worked at the polls for city and county elections.
Her faith journey began as a child, accompanying her father as they walked to Calvary Baptist Church on Gregg Street from their home on Leverett. Having joined First Baptist Church in 1955 alongside her husband, in the early 1970s she began questioning whether she had fully understood salvation and the purpose of baptism. In her late 40s, she responded to a gospel invitation and asked to be baptized again to publicly profess her faith in Christ and settle all her doubts.
She came from a generation of women who prized their role as wife and mother, from cooking a full breakfast every morning to ironing every shirt or handkerchief whether you were family or a guest.
Preceding her in death were her husband John Penn Reed, to whom she was married for 52 years, as well as her parents, Fannie and Ben Tune; brothers Carl, Clarence, and Jesse Tune; sisters Minnie Tune, Colleen Heckathorn, and Georgia Tune; her daughter-in-law, Laura Reed; and her great granddaughter, Lottie Sandusky.
Frances is survived by her son, Randal Penn Reed of Fayetteville, her daughter Tamora Reed Ledbetter and son-in-law, Gary, of Prairie Grove, Ark.; grandchildren Christopher Penn Reed and his wife, Jenifer, of Frederick, Md., Carroll Frances Reed Altshuler and her husband, Andrew, of Darnestown, Md., Douglas Ledbetter and his wife, Judy, of Wichita, Kan., Philip Ledbetter and his wife, Kelly, of McKinney, Tx.; and Margaret “Maggie” Ledbetter Sandusky and her husband, Ethan, of Bowie, Texas; as well as 10 great grandchildren, Rose, Daniel, Reagan, Caroline, Adelaide, Cora, Jackson, Mackenzie, Henry, and Eleanor.
Jordan Putt of Bentonville became her adopted granddaughter after Frances’ best friend, JoAnn Jordan, died in 2003.
Other survivors include nephews Denny Tune and Fred Springall; nieces Pat Hill, Christy Morris, Deborah Christianson, and Deanna Springall; as well as numerous Reed and Tune cousins with whom she kept in touch through reunions, visits, cards, and prayers, including Karen Barker, Clydia Combs, Lana Turney, Lou Sharp, Joe Reed, Kathi Stayman, Becky Reed, Edna Wagy, John Watts, Jim Watts, Vicky Robertson, Richard Watts, and many dear friends from First Baptist Church of Fayetteville where she was a member for 68 years.
Frances spent her last week under the palliative care of Washington Regional Medical Center and Prairie Grove Health and Rehabilitation in coordination with Circle of Life Hospice.
Her life will be celebrated at a service of First Baptist Church of Fayetteville on Friday, January 12, at 1 p.m. with Douglas Falknor officiating. A private graveside service for the immediate family will be held later at Mount Comfort Cemetery in Fayetteville with Gary Ledbetter officiating.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Fayetteville Children’s Ministry, P.O. Box 1324, Fayetteville, AR 72702 or www.fbcfayetteville.org.
You can watch Frances' memorial service at: https://vimeo.com/900576856
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