Michael S. Reed, 65, left this world on his terms just after 9 p.m. March 5. He was home with his wife, Kyla; sons, Patrick and Daniel; and their lovely ladies, Shawna Sutherland and Alyssa Atkins. Someone was relating a Mike Reed story that had everyone laughing, and at that moment he slipped into the next life.
Born Feb. 19, 1952, Mike was the son of Irvin and Bernie Reed, brother to Pam Olson, Ron Reed and Patrick Reed.
Mike proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1971-72. He was stationed in Babenhausen, Germany. Mike said these were two of the best years of his young life. The friendships made during his service last beyond his last breath. He was assigned to the B-battery, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment. This unit has been in continual service since before the Civil War. Mike and Kyla traveled back to this magical village in 2012 and reconnected with friends that Mike made years ago. They returned in 2014 to help with the dedication of the Babenhausen Museum with other veterans of Babenhausen. Mike was honored to dedicate a rare book that explained the history of the kaserne. Kyla and Mike laughed when friends remembered him as "the lady-killer of Babenhausen."
Mike went to school in Laramie while growing into a man. He went to work as a brakeman for the Union Pacific Railroad in 1976. He became a conductor in 1980. He retired early due to a disability at the age of 57. He logged more than one million miles on the tracks.
Mike married Kyla Syler on March 1, 1980, in Laramie. The life they shared was always with commitment to friendship, love and laughter. Patrick Michael joined the family Feb. 29, 1984, and Daniel Jack completed the young family Feb. 6, 1987. These two men are his proudest accomplishments. Mike's parenting style was unorthodox but honest. He is and was their hero.
Mike's bucket list included the desire to ride his motorcycle through the lower 48 states. Many of these states were covered within two years of him beating cancer seven years ago. Mike's love of cycling was genetic; his grandfather rode Harleys in the early 1900s, his father rode and it was a natural that he rode, too. He attended the Sturgis Rally for 25 consecutive years. He moved from Harleys to BMWs as the year 2000 arrived. Mike and Kyla traveled front to back for thousands of miles.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents and brothers. He is survived by Kyla, Patrick, Daniel, Alyssa and Shawna and sister, Pam. He has too many cousins to count, and friends across the world.
Mike's final wishes are for his cremains to be interred at the Wyoming Veteran's Cemetery opening in 2020.
Celebration of his life will be at 1 p.m. March 19 at Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park.
This is a paid obituary.
Source: www.bing.com
