Darlene Spence Harper McNeill Reed Obituary (1930 - 2020)

Graveside services for Darlene McNeill Reed will be broadcast via Facebook Live on Friday, December 11, 2020 at 12:00 PM MST. To watch these services, please click on the link below. Click HERE to view Graveside Services for Darlene McNeill Reed Darlene Spence Harper was born June 27, 1930 to Hector Howell Harper and Katherine Wright Robertson Spence in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was the first daughter born to Hector and Katherine after 5 boys. She was married to John Wahlin McNeill on August 23, 1947 and spent the next 53 making a home for dad, her children, and grandchildren. As a military wife, she started her new life at Hill Field (now Hill Air Force Base). This is where her first 2 sons were born. In 1952, pregnant with their 3rd son, mom packed up her small family, and took a train to New York City, where she boarded a plane to Munich, Germany, to join Dad. During the 3 years there, her third son was born. In Dec. 1955, pregnant again, mom packed up the family, this time with dad, and boarded a ship (USS America) from Bremerhaven to New York. Mom used to talk about driving round and round a block looking for the Empire State building before realizing it was the entire block. We ended up at Malmstrom AFB, Montana and again mom started putting together our home. In June 1955, her daughter arrived. Mom came down with Rheumatoid Fever and had to stay down for several weeks and her niece, Missy, (Don and Rene’s daughter) came to take care of the family until mom could get back on her feet. Dad was transferred to Hill AFB and we moved again. This time dad got ambitious and we rented a farm house where mom raised chickens and a garden. Mom was a great cook and made the best Chicken and Dumpling soup. In 1957, dad got transferred to Fairchild AFB, Washington. We stayed at Fairchild until 1965 when dad was transferred to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. A year to the day later, we were off to Tachikawa AFB in Japan for 4 years. Dad’s last assignment was going to be to Anderson AFB, near Washington DC on an upward track and a promotion to Chief Master Sergeant. However, Mom and Dad decided it was time to settle down and in 1970 they retired from the Air Force. Mom and dad spent the next 30 years living in Sandy, Utah, where Dad died in 2000. 3 Years later, she met Ellis Kenten Reed while working at the Jordan River Temple. They were married on Valentine’s Day in 2003 and lived in West Jordan. Mom always wanted a big family, and with Kenten came 5 daughters and a lot a new grandkids. Mom always had a big heart. She loved to prepare meals large enough for company. Dad was always bringing his GIs home for a home cooked meal. When we were in Japan, our living room was often filled with GI’s on R&R from Vietnam. Mom would fix them a meal and give them a bed. Mom volunteered at the hospital at Tachikawa, helping to take care of the GIs who were wounded in Vietnam. She spent hours reading to them, caring for their wounds, and writing letters to their loved ones. If we were too “uppity”, she’d send us over to the hospital to “volunteer.” Mom loved to exercise. She began teaching women’s exercise classes for military wives at Fairchild, Barksdale and Tachikawa. In her 80s, she was proud that she and Kenten were doing “deep water aerobics” at the Gene Fulmer Fitness Center “5 days a week.” Mom loved spending time with her family and enjoyed visiting with all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren (and she considered them all hers). Mom loved working in the temple with her first husband, John. She found solace there and peace. She and dad worked in the Jordan River and Orlando Florida Temple. She and Kenten continued to work in the Jordan River Temple until her memory wouldn’t allow it. Mom served as a counselor in the first primary in post war Germany and later in the primary presidency in Tachikawa Japan. Over the years, she found serving others is what brings happiness and joy. I think if there is one thing she would want her posterity to understand, it is that service is how we grow, mend, heal, and become eternal. It’s an obligation we have as a price for the freedoms and blessings of living in this country. She spent her last year living in the Memory Care unit of Sunrise of Sandy, Senior Care where she enjoyed playing the piano and singing with her son as he played the guitar. We are very grateful to the staff for the wonderful care which they provided. We would have been lost without their care, kindness and patience. Mom is survived by her husband, Kenten Reed, and her children: John (Joyce), Dan(Marcia), Dave (Ginger), Sandy (George) She is also survived by 17 Grandchildren, 32 Great-Grandkids, a brother, Jack Harper (Evelyn), a sister, Rene Ann Cowman and 2 sisters-in-law, Joyce and Elma. She is preceded in death by her childhood sweetheart and husband of 53 years, John McNeill, her parents and siblings: Don, Bill, George, Bob, Ross, and Laraine. The funeral will be a graveside service at Elysian Burial Gardens, 1075 E 4580 S, Salt Lake City at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. The service will available to view live at www.jenkins-soffe.com. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org/donate.