Charles William Reed

Our dear brother Charles W. Reed sadly passed away on the evening of April 4, 2023, at the age of 68. He was a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was always cheerful, happy and loved by his family. Charles graduated from Leesville State School at age 18, and he returned to Baton Rouge. Shortly thereafter, he began his employment at Bet-R Grocery Store, and after 47 years, he retired at the age of 65. During his employment, he made many friends, both fellow employees and customers. A very special thanks to Mr. Cliff Boulden for allowing Charles this opportunity and for his patience and understanding. Charles lived with his mother until her death in 2005, whom he said was his very best friend. He was very fortunate to have a mother who loved to travel and took him to many places throughout the world. Even though those travels included places like Greece, Italy, Japan, The Holy Land and other amazing places, he said one of his favorite memories from those travels was riding the subway to see a Phillies game. Charles was a faithful LSU Tigers fan and attended many LSU football games with his mother. He loved wearing his purple and gold LSU t-shirts and socks and recently received a special surprise; an LSU blanket. One of Charles’ favorite past times was bowling and for many years bowled in the Capital City High Rollers League, which he said was only for “special people like him.” We thank Ms. Raven for her dedication to the League, Charles and his fellow bowlers. After moving to Magnolia Brook Assisted Living in 2020, it took very little time for Charles to become active in the community and quickly made many new friends among the residents and employees. He valued their friendship dearly and we greatly appreciate how Charles was welcomed into the community. With his outgoing, sweet and sometimes silly personality, he soon became a very popular resident there. He was thrilled when in 2023, he was chosen as the Magnolia Brook Mardi Gras King and proudly wore the crown. He was even more excited when one Christmas, he won the Elf on The Shelf contest. He was predeceased in death by his father Curtis Reed Sr, mother Yvonne Solar Reed, brothers Robert G. Reed and Douglas H. Reed and half-sister Ollive Maxey. He is survived by his sister Yvonne E. Reed, brothers Curtis Reed, Alvin F. Reed, John F. Reed and wife Sharon. Charles was a member of University Methodist Church. Pallbearers will be his nephews Stephen Reed, Danny Reed, Jeremy Reed and great-nephews Brennen Reed, Cameron Reed and Christopher Reed. A visitation for Charles will be held Thursday, April 13, 2023 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802, followed by a funeral service conducted by Rev. Ken Irby of University Methodist Church at 1:00 PM. Charles will be laid to rest in Roselawn Memorial Park, 4045 North St., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806. We extend a special thank you to Dr. David Fontenot, Dr. Amit Patel, and the staff at Magnolia Brook for the excellent care they provided Charles. Also, a special thank you to Stephen Reed for assisting with Charles’ care and the close relationship he shared with his uncle, which Charles dearly valued.