Carole Reed

Carole June Reed, 84, of Eau Claire, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, October 7, 2016, with her family by her side and the Lord in her heart.

She was born in Lemont, Illinois on February 13, 1932 to Rex and Helen Welcher, the second of two children. Carole graduated from Eau Claire High School where she was the Valedictorian of her class and went on to attend Western Michigan University graduating with a degree in Elementary Education. In 1952 she married LeDair Reed of Eau Claire, with whom she would have three children. She continued her education at Michigan State University where she received her Master's Degree. She taught the majority of her career at Eau Claire Public Schools in various elementary grades and eventually became principal at Lybrook Elementary where she retired after 37 years of service. Her true passion though, was teaching. It was common, even recently, for “Ms. Reed” to be stopped on the street or at a local gathering, where former students would say hello, give her a hug and remind her that she was always their favorite teacher. Carole was also very strong in her faith and dedicated much of her free time to the Eau Claire Community Church where she was a lifelong member. She was the former treasurer and secretary of the church and enjoyed singing in the choir.

Carole is survived by her children:  Laurie Reed of Eau Claire, Kevin (Kathy) Reed of Eau Claire; grandchildren: Thomas (Kali) Reed, Rachel (Mark) Sudhoff, Phillip Reed, Hunter Reed, Conner Reed; great-grandchildren, Lyla and Paislee Sudhoff; sister, Shirley Pucheu of Vicksburg, MI; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her loving husband, LeDair Reed; and her firstborn child, Karen Leona Reed.

A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, October 11, at Bowerman Funeral Home in Eau Claire. A visitation with the family will be held prior to the service from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bowerman’s. Online condolences may be left at www.bowermanfuneral.com

Memorial donations may be made to the Eau Claire Community Church or the National Parkinson Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL  33131.