Astrid Reed

     Astrid (Tinker) Reed was born in Jackson, Michigan in April 1936 to O. Erich and Margaret Henke. Early in life, she worked every job in the family grocery business, including driving deliveries at age 14. While attending Battle Creek Central High she developed a lifelong love of classical music, became first violin in the school orchestra, and joined the Battle Creek Civic Symphony.  She also spent time at Michigan’s Interlochen Center for the Arts.

After high school, she attended the NYC John Robert Powers School for modeling & acting.  She received her teaching degree from University of Michigan, where she met her husband David Q Reed. Tinker and David were married at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Tinker became a fabulous gourmet cook, organized many social events and dinner parties at the family home, and worked tirelessly in support of her husband's political and law career. Later in life she went back to school to learn business and accounting, and after David’s death, managed the family business.

Tinker was also an avid supporter of the arts, especially the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Friends of Chamber Music.

An avid outdoors woman, she spent every summer and fall at the family vacation home in Michigan, hunting, fishing, sunbathing, and riding in the old Lincoln through the woods looking for wildlife.  Relaxing meant sitting in her favorite chair with the newspaper and chatting with family or having a picnic on the pontoon boat.

Tinker was always a gracious host and devoted mother and grandmother. She had a disarming, wonderfully mischievous, and sometimes irreverent sense of humor which she frequently used to cheer us up or make us giggle and burst out laughing.

She was not a woman of half-measures but threw her whole self into her accomplishments and relationships. She lived her life with humor, intellect, kindness compassion, and humility.

Her greatest pleasure was watching her grandchildren bloom into the amazing adults they have become, getting to see them and being involved with their activities whenever possible.

Tinker will be sorely missed by all who had the opportunity to get to know this funny sweet, dedicated, truly genuine and super hardworking woman.

Tinker was preceded in death by her husband David Reed, her parents Margaret and O. Erich Henke, and her mother-in-law Nell Reed. She is survived by her sister Katharin, her four children Peter (Dupuy) of Kansas City, James and his wife Sara of Kansas City, John and his wife Linda of Boston, Massachusetts, Ellen and her husband Randy of Downers Grove Illinois, and four grandchildren; James (Alec) and Richard (Doc) of Kansas City; and Rebecca and Cecil of Boston, Massachusetts.

Tinker will be sorely missed by those who had the privilege of knowing her.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Tinker’s memory may be made to one of these charities supported by Tinker:

St Luke's Foundation

https://www.saintlukeskc.org/saint-lukes-foundation#

Little Sisters of the Poor of Kansas City

https://littlesistersofthepoorkansascity.weshareonline.org/ws/opportunities/GiftinMemoryofaDeceasedPerson

Wounded Warriors

https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate