Mark Stephen Reed

Born in Macon, Georgia, he was the son of the late Herman Lee Reed and Annie Mercer Reed. He was a graduate of Garinger High School in Charlotte, NC, and Mercer University in Macon, GA. While at Mercer, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and the ROTC program. Upon graduation in 1974, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Most importantly during college, he met the love of his life, the former Lynn Bissell, and they were married in June 1975.

They started life as a married couple at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA. After his honorable discharge, they moved to Leesburg, FL where he started his career in sales.

During their time in Florida, they welcomed their boys, Brad and Blake. After many fun beach trips, church softball “championships,” racquetball tournaments, and Florida Gator football games, they were transferred to Raleigh, NC in 1988. They quickly fell in love with the beautiful four seasons and completed their family with the birth of their daughter, Alyson.

Mark was a dedicated father and spent many nights and weekends attending soccer and baseball games, dance recitals and swim meets. More recently, he loved being “PopPop” and spoiling his grandchildren. He never met a stranger, was the king of one-liners, and always had a joke in his back pocket. He loved to grill for a crowd, hunt, and talk history with anyone who would listen. He was truly a southern gentleman.

As a member of Providence Church, he demonstrated his love for the Lord through serving on the hospitality and security teams, as well as in the Children’s Ministry. After his retirement in 2018, his servant’s heart was evident through his work with the Handyman Ministry, where he was able to share the gospel with those in his community. He never left home without his tool bucket and never missed an opportunity to go to lunch with the guys after completing a project.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Lynn, and their three children and their spouses, Bradley and Nicole Reed of Montpelier, VA, Blake and Christine Reed of Cary, NC, and Alyson and Peter Moret of Raleigh, NC; two brothers and their wives, Alan and Debbie Reed of Murrells Inlet, SC, Brian and Stephanie Reed of Cumming, GA; his seven precious grandchildren Connor, Vanesa, Raelynn and Lacey Reed, Hadley and Everette Reed, and Thomas Moret.

In addition to his parents, Mark was preceded in death by his sisters, Sharyn Colvell and Madelyn Bassett.

A visitation will be held on Monday, October 28 from 5:00-7:00 PM at Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC. Funeral services will be Tuesday, October 29 at Providence Church, 6339 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC followed by a private burial in Raleigh Memorial Park.

For those who would like to honor Mark with memorials, donations to Providence Church, Raleigh, NC 27612 or The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2101 Rosecrans Avenue Suite 3200, El Segundo, CA 90245 would be appreciated. Please use the links below, under 'Donations'.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Mark, or a message of condolence for his family, you may do so below, within 'Add a Memory'.