Donald F. Reed

1930 - 2025

Donald F. Reed
1930 - 2025
Scarborough
Donald Francis Reed died in Scarborough Maine at Piper Shores on August 29, 2025 at the age of 94. Donald was born on December 15, 1930 in Ware, Massachusetts to John Porter Reed and Mollie Barton Reed. He graduated from high school in Southington, Connecticut and received his bachelor and master degrees from Yale University in 1953 where he majored in French. Donald married Lois Helen Ryder on April 14, 1956 in Hartford, CT. He worked for 30 years at the United States Envelope Company, later called Westvaco, in Hartford, CT and later in Springfield, Massachusetts. Donald and Lois raised two daughters, Cynthia and Susan, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Donald was a Mr. Fix-it man, typical of many men of his generation, repairing and improving things around the house on his own. He could fix or improve just about anything. He had a lifelong love for the piano and theater organ, and played both frequently and beautifully. He and his team of friends 'rescued' an old, abandoned theater organ from a closed theater in Springfield and reassembled it in his basement, where he and his friends had many concerts for friends. Later, after moving to Florida, Donald competed in a national keyboard contest performing in various regions of the country before reaching the highest levels and eventually winning the competition in Los Angeles, California.
Donald and Lois traveled across the globe visiting all seven continents and took great pleasure in sharing the stories of their adventures. After living in Longmeadow, Donald and Lois bought and renovated a home on Congamond Lake in Suffield, Connecticut where they enjoyed lake life and many parties with family and friends. They also had homes in Cudjoe Key and Summerfield, Florida where they lived happily in the sunshine.
Donald was a kind and gentle man who loved keyboard and theater music. He had a gentle sense of humor and was a warm, friendly and positive spirit.
He was predeceased by his wife Lois in 2019 and his daughter Susan Crockett of Granville, Massachusetts in July of 2025. He is survived by his daughter Cynthia Gutermann, her husband Peter and their children and spouses Alison and Leo Daley, Emily and Connor Simon and Matthew Gutermann, along with his great grand children Leo and Grace Daley.