Alata Mae Reed

ST. JOSEPH — Alta Mae Reed, 97, died at 6:20 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 18, 2018) at Gardenview Manor, Tilton.

Alta Mae Reed was born Aug. 6, 1921, in Champaign. She was the daughter of Van and Ellen (Dill) Rice of St. Joseph. Her father delivered ice around the area, and her mother was a homemaker and seamstress. She had three sisters and one brother. She graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1940.

Alta Mae married Dale L. Reed Sr. on Dec. 3, 1943, in Catlin. They had three children, Dale Jr. (1947), employed by the Champaign Police Department and retired from the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office; Dennis (1953), who was co-owner of Li’l Porgy’s Bar-B-Q; and Karen (1958), who has worked at Burnham, Covenant/ Provena and Carle hospitals and the U of I Veterinary College as a histotechnologist.

She was preceded in death by her husband and two sons, Dale L. Reed Jr. and Dennis R. Reed.

Alta is survived by her daughter, Karen (David)Reed-Trautman of St. Joseph; a sister, Bernice Wilkinson of Florida; five grandchildren; six greatgrandchildren;

and many nieces and nephews.

Alta always wanted to be a nurse. Her inspiration came from the family physician, as well as a friend who was attending St. Elizabeth Nursing School in Danville. She found St. Elizabeth was a great fit for her. She enjoyed all the nuns and her nursing supervisors. She gained knowledge of procedures, instruments, responsibility, dependability and organization. Most importantly, she always kept up on current procedures. She developed into a wonderful, brilliant and intuitive RN, which she carried throughout her career and life. Alta graduated in 1943.

She started private duty after graduation. In 1944, she worked staff duty at the veterans facility for a few months, then returned to St. Elizabeth for approximately nine years. They moved to St. Joseph when her husband returned from the service. He started working at the U of I as a cement finisher, and Alta began working at Mercy Hospital, where she was employed for 10 years. In 1968, she started as a staff nurse at the U of I McKinley Hospital in Urbana, where she worked for 14 years. Alta then retired in April 1982.

Alta continued to dedicate herself to family andfriends who needed her

experience in many different medical conditions. So many individuals are thankful to have had her help for their loved one. Alta loved to garden, cook and bake. She loved her grandchildren, enjoyed traveling with her friends and she even rafted down Snake River.

Alta was also a member of Song’s Kung Fu Academy from 1990-1998, where they offered demonstrations of tai chi, a form of martial arts, to senior citizens groups. Many thanks to Marla Mast, instructor, for her friendship and support over the years.

She will be missed by many, but forever in our hearts.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, at Sunset Funeral Home, 710 N. Neil St., Champaign, IL 61820. Minister Hank Sanford will officiate. Graveside committal will follow at Mount Olive Cemetery, Mayview.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorial donations may be made in Alta’s name to the Wounded Warriors Project. Please join her family in sharing memories, photos and videos on her tribute wall at sunsetfuneralhome. com.