(The following obituary appeared on the Quad City Times website on July 15, 2009. Reed was a member of BLET Division 266 in Savanna, Ill.)
SAVANNA, Ill. — Andrew Richard Reed, 27, of Savanna, died Tuesday, July 14, 2009, as a result of a train accident in Bettendorf, Iowa. A Funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 18, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Savanna, with Father David Austin as Celebrant. Burial will be in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Savanna. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 17, at St. John’s Church Hall. A memorial fund has been established for Andrew’s family. Online condolences and tributes may be given to the family at www.lawjonesfuneralhome.com.
Andrew was born June 24, 1982, in Clinton, Iowa, the son of Richard and Ramona (Ritchie) Reed. He graduated from Savanna High School with the Class of 2000. He attended Highland Community College in Freeport, Illinois, and also Hamilton Technical School in Davenport, Iowa.
Andrew was a loving father and adored his daughter, Brynn, and Delaney. He worked for the Dakota, Minnessota & Eastern Railroad as a conductor. He enjoyed playing sports and boating on the Mississippi River. Andrew was known by his friends as “Reed-o” and “Sweet-Meat.”
Andrew is survived and lovingly remembered by his fiancée, Jamie Diercks, their daughter, Brynn, and her daughter, Delaney Holmes, all of Savanna; his mother, Ramona and John Coffey, of Argyle, Wisconsin; his father, Richard “Dick” Reed, of Moline, Illinois; three sisters, Jennifer and Julio Ortiz, of Tooele, Utah, Susan Reed and Gus Castango, of Grantsville, Utah, and Katie Reed, of Savanna; his maternal grandparents, Boyd and Sally Ritchie, of Savanna; two half sisters, Rachel Reed and Ashley Reed, both of Platteville, Wisconsin; as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Andrew was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Milo and Rose Reed, a sister at birth, Sarah, and an uncle, Raymond Ritchie.