Sharon L. Reed

Sharon Louise Reed, age 74, returned peacefully to her Lord on October 29, 2024. She will be greatly missed by her extended family and many friends.
Sharon was born to Donald and Rita (Kilroy) Reed on November 15, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio. She is survived by her brothers Donald (Barbara) Reed and Michael Reed, sister Marcy (Jim) Foster, and by Amy Cotter, her fellow Dominican Associate and best friend of over 40 years. Sharon was a devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews Donald (Caitlyn) Reed, Matthew (Michele) Reed, Brian Reed, Caitrin (Chris) Cummiskey, and Erin (Jackson ) Maas, and great-nieces and great-nephews Colin Reed, Liam Reed, Fiona Reed, Cassian Reed, Sebastian Cummiskey, Sofia Cummiskey, and Isabella Cummiskey
Sharon was a proud graduate of St. William parochial school in Euclid, Ohio, and of Villa Angela Academy (now VASJ) in Cleveland. She matriculated at the University of Dayton where she earned a BS in Education and at Cleveland State University where she completed an M.Ed. in Counseling.
Sharon's professional life was shaped by her calling to service to all and woven from her threefold interests in education, counseling, and pastoral care. Shortly after graduating from the University of Dayton, she returned home to teach at her alma mater, Villa Angela Academy, where she clearly enjoyed her talented students. After several years, she accepted a position as the Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Columbus and, later, as a Counselor and Instructor at the Pontifical College Josephinum. Concurrently, she pursued her calling to pastoral care and training at the Center for Ministry Development and the Wellsprings Spiritual Direction training program and in private practice as a family counselor. Sharon ultimately returned to the field of education, now at the college level, spending the last 20 years at Ohio Dominican University, where she began as Director of Counseling Services and retired in 2021 as Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Student Life.
She was a founding member of the Spirituality Network, a nonprofit which connects people with resources for spiritual growth. She was devoted to this local organization, serving in a variety of capacities from 1986 to the present.
Sharon was a calm presence in every room, a good listener, and a faithful contributor to each community she served. She was a thoughtful and compassionate friend. Her quiet and reflective demeanor concealed a lively sense of humor.
Her commitment to providing cards, inscribed with thoughtful messages in beautiful handwriting, for every birthday and special occasion, was legendary. She could be counted on to be present at every important event in the lives of those closest to her.
Sharon loved nature and enjoying the beauty of the created world. She traveled frequently to our National Parks. In her younger years, she made the difficult Rim-to-Rim hike at the Grand Canyon with her close friend, Amy. She loved to frequent the nearby Hocking Hills State Park and the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. She yearned to travel, most recently completing a European river cruise with her closest friends from the University of Dayton.
Cleveland-born, she was a committed Cleveland sport fan for life. Wherever she lived, she remained an avid follower of all Cleveland teams, frequently traveling north to watch her beloved Browns, Cavaliers, and Guardians. After her move to Columbus, she gradually made the adjustment to cheering for winning sports teams. She became a loyal fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Ohio Dominican Panthers. While normally reserved, she was known to raise her voice to appeal questionable calls by coaches and/or referees, sometimes in public.
She regularly pursued her diverse tastes in music, theater, and the arts. She enjoyed classical, contemporary Christian, country and folk music. She was particularly fond of James Taylor but somehow never outgrew her youthful love for Neil Diamond.
From birth, Sharon was enveloped in the love of two large, extended families She was proud of the Irish heritage she acquired from her mother and proud of the entire Kilroy clan. She was also firmly attached to the matriarchal Reeds of northeast Ohio. This past summer, she enjoyed a delightful reunion with all of her Reed cousins. It should also be noted that Sharon was her father's favorite child.
Sharon's reverence for God, the natural world, and her fellow creatures and her faithfulness to her call to serve have been continual inspirations to family and friends.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 5, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at St. Josephine Bakhita parish at St. Elizabeth Church, 6077 Sharon Woods Blvd., Columbus. Sharon's Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the same location at 11 AM on Wednesday, November 6, followed by interment at Resurrection Cemetery, 9571 N. High St., Lewis Center. At the conclusion of the gravesite ceremony, you are invited to join the family for a reception and recollections at the St. Josephine Bakhita parish hall. Please note that the Mass of Christian Burial will be live-streamed and available at the St. Josephine Bakhita website
In Sharon's honor, and in lieu of flowers, please consider donations to two of her favorite nonprofits, the Spirituality Network and Hope Hollow
You might also donate to the Sharon Reed Scholarship at Ohio Dominican University. If you would like to make a gift to support this scholarship fund, you may do so online at ohiodominican.edu Simply select "Other" under the "Direct my gift to" field and type "Reed Scholarship." You also may make a gift via check to "Ohio Dominican University" and include "Reed Scholarship" in the memo field.
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