Martha Diane Reed

Martha Diane Reed, known to all as “Marty,” passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Cedar Creek, Texas on March 21st following a long illness.

Marty was born on October 5, 1944 at Fort Bliss in El Paso to Ralph David Barner and Ellen Catherine Goodyear. Along with her older brother, Ralph David Barner II (Dave), the family lived for a short time in Lawrence, Kansas before settling in East Lansing, Michigan. She graduated from East Lansing High School in 1962 and attended East Lansing Community College before spending a year in Bikaner, India with her parents, exploring the country and culture while her father was working for USAID as an advisor to the dean of veterinary medicine at Udaipur Agricultural University. Following her return to the United States, she married in 1967 and began raising her three sons, David James Fender, Bruce Michael Fender, and William Dean Fender, in Southwest Iowa.

Marty moved to Texas with her sons and married her second husband, Larry David Reed, on August 17, 1985. She worked for a number of years as a personnel manager for K-Mart in the Austin area until she and Larry retired and moved to Aransas Pass. While enjoying their life on the coast, Marty developed her love for machine embroidery into a full-time business, which kept her extremely busy until health issues finally forced her to close the business in 2015.

Following Larry’s death in November 2019, Marty moved to Cedar Creek to be closer to family. Her son Bruce and his wife Lacey in particular were a great help to her, along with her youngest son Bill and step-son David Reed. Together, they were able to help her fulfill her wish to live out her final days at home without extraordinary medical measures.

Marty was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and his wife Fran, and her husband. She is survived by her sons, her 3 step-children, 6 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by many of the friends she collected at each stop along the journey of her life who have kept in touch throughout the years.

Per her wishes, no memorial service will be held. The family asks that anyone who desires to commemorate her life make a donation to a charity of their choice in her name. The family will gather privately at a later date to distribute her ashes according to her wishes.