John M. Reed

John Myers Reed died Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, in Boston. He was born to the late Paul R. and Elizabeth B. Reed on Jan. 28, 1930. John graduated from the Noble and Greenough School in 1947, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951, and from the Harvard Law School in 1955. John met his future wife, Alette, on a blind date, when he was 18 and she was 17, in December 1948. They married in 1951, and were never apart until her death in 2007. John waited to enter law school, so they could attend together. For that year, after graduation from MIT, John worked on a surface-to-air missile project for the U.S. Navy. After graduation from law school, John worked at Gaston, Snow & Ely, Bartlett, doing bond and banking work, which was not completely to his taste. John admired Claude Cross, and asked him about joining Withington Cross, which John did. John had many happy years at the firm, and practiced every variety of law, from admiralty to zoning, and tried cases in all courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Eventually he joined his wife at Sherin & Lodgen, where they were partners together for many years until his retirement. John then joined his sons practice, at Holtz & Reed. Johns learning was enormous, and his memory of all he read, all he saw, all he heard, was almost perfect. He also wrote poetry. John leaves his son, Thomas, and daughter-in-law, Sarah, of Brookline; and his grandchildren, Sam, Jack, and Katie, whom he loved very much. His daughter, Emily, died in 2003. Services are private. For online guestbook visit www.bellodeafuneralhome.com.