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CAROL ANN ETHINGTON REED

Carol Ann Ethington Reed passed away on August 17, 2022, just shortly before she and her husband, Lloyd’s, 65th wedding anniversary. Especially since Carol Ann was an avid weekly reader of the Mount Ayr Record News, her family regrets not submitting an obituary to the paper at that time but wants to make the belated announcement now. God bless all who are reading this, who knew and were friends with Carol Ann, as well as those friends who preceded her in passing.
Carol was born in Delphos, IA near Diagonal to Boyd and Annabelle Ethington and grew up just South of Kellerton, IA. She and Lloyd Reed, son of Charlie and Helen Reed, were married November 23, 1957, and shortly after began running a restaurant in Kellerton. In 1961 they moved to Colorado Springs where Carol took a job of being a waitress in a pancake house. She saved up $400 in tips over just three months, then with that money she and Lloyd followed Lloyd’s brother Leslie home when he was returning from the service in September of 1961, and moved on to Des Moines where Carol first worked at Kresge’s department store. In 1968 she answered a newspaper ad “for people who like math” to take a job as tax preparer at H&R block earning “fun money” for her family and making literally thousands of client friends. She worked that job for 33 years, once writing more return volume for H&R than anyone else in the U.S., before retiring in 2001. Carol, along with Lloyd and their children, Kalina and Kenton, enjoyed camping their entire family life, starting with a tent in Jester Park, then upgrading to a pickup camper. In 1971 Carol and Lloyd purchased a lake lot at Sun Valley Lake near Elston, IA. They’ve been there ever since and joined in the celebration of 50 years at Sun Valley Lake recently–one of very few families that can boast having been there the entire time.
Besides camping, Carol and the family road thousands of miles on motorcycles. In the late seventies they started what they called the Family Affair Cycle Riders with brothers and sisters in both families and Kalina and Kent riding with them. The group traveled many places including across the border at Brownsville, TX into Mexico. Carol and Lloyd owned 21 different motorcycles over the years ending with a 2001 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra-Glide and a 1988 Softail.
In their retirement they traveled by RV with home base locations of Casa Grande and Apache Junction, AZ. Carol Ann and Lloyd traveled all 48 of the lower states plus Mexico and Canada on the motorcycles then all of them again in their motor homes. Amidst their years of retirement, they were able to sail 12 cruises including Alaska and Hawaii! They even took Kent’s family along on one of them to spread the enjoyment to other generations, then took Kalina along on a trip to Las Vegas to make it even! Carol and Lloyd spent their most recent years of retirement side-by-side at home in their luxury recliners watching TV including NASCAR races, NBA basketball games and movies, movies, movies! No HGTV for this gal!
What Kalina has always called the original “Reed Family 4” enjoyed countless activities together but the most bonding of them was the many years of “grave hopping” to decorate 40+ graves and visit several “live” people as well! Carol Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings Patricia Fox (Jerry), Jack Ethington (Karen, surviving) and Marion Ethington (Carolyn, surviving). She is survived by her husband, Lloyd; her children, Kalina Maxwell (Rick) and Kenton Reed (Mary); grandchildren, Rich Maxwell (Krista), Megan Stanley (David), Taylor Marsho (Peter) and Elizabeth Reed; and great grandchildren, Lilly, Jamie and Connor Maxwell, Piper Stanley and Rory Marsho.
A celebration of life was held Saturday, August 20, 2022, at the Ding Darling Shelter house in Birdland Park, Des Moines. There was a large gathering with a brief service by Deacon Marvin Brewer of Des Moines and lunch followed. Carol Ann was interned at the Van Wert, IA cemetery on Sunday, September 11, 2022, presided over by Pastor Orville Black, again, fellowship and a luncheon followed at the Van Wert Community Center. Close family and friends gathered to share stories about this loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and dear friend to so many.
Memorial contributions for Carol Ann Reed can be made to American Brawn www.americanbrawn.us, Kenton’s charity, to be used on life-saving equipment for first responder departments in her memory, or checks made payable to American Brawn can be mailed to American Brawn, 106 14th Ave., Grinnell, IA 50112.

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