Dellene Johnson Reed

Dellene Johnson Reed

Sun City, AZ

Born December 19, 1941, in Atkins, Iowa, the second daughter of Syndey H. and Louise Johnson. She attended schools in Atkins and married Vernon J. Reed on February 3, 1962, in Cedar Rapids.

Dellene was a homemaker and worked various part-time jobs. Early on she enjoyed reading Christmas romance novels and embroidering. She was very particular about color and had every color under the sun and then some. Dellene suffered with failing eyesight as a complication of diabetes despite treatment from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She managed reading and embroidery with magnification aids until near total blindness in her last eight years.

At the age of 44, Dellene found her altar of repentance and was baptized by immersion, fulfilling Acts 2:38 and Acts 4:12, a true born-again experience.

She always had her favorite dog and was an animal lover in general. It grieved her to hear of abuse or neglect. Her retort was always “They ought to do the same thing to them”.

Dellene lived in the Cedar Rapids Marion area most of her life, moving in 2009 to Sun City, AZ, to be close to her daughter.

She was preceded in death by her son Bobby, her parents and older sister Evelyn. Dellene could never accept the death of her son and always said, “I wish he would come home.”

She is survived by her husband Vern of Sun City, AZ, and daughter Susan (Peter) of Palmdale, CA, five grandchildren Thomas Reed, Daniel (Breanna) Reed of Cedar Rapids, Claire, Nikolas, and Chloe Holm of Palmdale, CA, and two great grandsons William, Oliver, and a younger sister Helen Davis.

We want to thank the nurses of White Rose Hospice of Sun City for the excellent care they gave Dellene.