Madeleine S. Reed

Madeleine Sharp Reed, formerly of Clifton, Virginia, passed away May 7, 2025 at Ashby Ponds Senior Living Community in Ashburn, Virginia, where she had resided since 2015. She died of natural causes.

Madeleine was born in Oak Park, Illinois on January 9, 1932, the daughter of the late L. Harold and Madeleine H. Sharp. Her family moved to Herndon, Virginia when she was a teenager and she graduated from Herndon High School in 1949. Madeleine continued her education at Penn State University, graduating in 1953.

In 1954 she married Thomas E. Reed III, and shortly thereafter talked him into moving to a small, suburban farm in Clifton, Virginia. Madeleine loved nature and the small community of like-minded neighbors. While Tom advanced his career as a real estate appraiser, she focused on raising a family and life in the country. She and Tom became avid vegetable gardeners, growing and preserving nearly all of the vegetables on their table. They kept cattle to graze, grew Christmas trees, and tried to co-exist in harmony with the wildlife sharing their property. Madeleine maintained picturesque flower gardens and for many years belonged to the Rocky Run Garden Club, where she met some of her closest friends. She was a wonderful cook, a gracious hostess, and enjoyed nothing more than an animated book club discussion. A skilled photographer, Madeleine captured the history of her family and community in exceptional black and white photographs. She had a beautiful smile and a big heart, and will be dearly missed.

In addition to her parents, Madeleine was predeceased by her husband, Thomas, in 2015, and her brother, David H. Sharp, in 2023. Survivors include daughter Joan R. Humphrey (John) and son Thomas E. Reed IV (Brenda), both of Reston, Virginia. She has five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Following a private memorial service, Madeleine will be buried next to her husband at St. John's Episcopal Church in Centreville, Virginia.