James Ashworth Reed

Raised in Sacramento, he was a bundle of energy from day one. Shortly after he learned to walk, he took off running, which was his love for his entire life. During his toddler years he acquired the nickname of Bucky, later shortened to Buck, as he was known to family and friends.

He was two when his brother was born. We asked him what name we should give his brother. He said Taddy, and that’s what his brother was called throughout his early years, even though we named him Joe.

Jim and his brother were the best of friends, their boyhoods filled with adventure. We lived near the American River, which was a focus of their lives. They swam, fished and rafted there and ran miles on the levees and trails. They loved sports and the mountains. Inseparable, they were heroes to one another.

Jim had an artistic bent. When a teenager, he taught himself to play guitar, but rather than play standard tunes, he made up his own jazz riffs. He had eight string instruments and played piano as well. He started drawing intricate pictures of robots, spaceships, and mazes in kindergarten. He was a gifted student.

In high school, he was on all-star soccer and baseball teams, and set a long-standing record in distance running, for which he was honored by having his name placed on the school gym wall. At age 17, he placed second in his age group in the first California International Marathon and went on to run the Boston Marathon twice, finishing in sub three-hour times. In one of them he was the highest finisher from northern Nevada.

At age 14, he and his 12-year-old brother ran down from the top of Mt. Whitney after summiting with their parents. Also, at age 14, he and his father rode their bicycles 500 miles to visit his great-grandfather (and namesake) in southern Utah. Jim's grandfather drove the sag wagon for the four-generation celebration.

Jim's love of backpacking began at age three and remained throughout his life. The entire family made a yearly hike into Silver King in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness, where many adventures were had. He became an avid environmentalist.

A few years ago, a bear in Silver King raided the camp of Jim and some friends and stole all the meat. Jim ran eight miles over three mountain passes to his car and drove to a small nearby town, where he bought every package of hot dogs available. He then ran back to camp with the hot dogs, just in time for dinner.

Qualified to attend any University of California school, he chose UC Davis before moving to the small mountain town of Mammoth Lakes, California to be with family. Later, he attended UNR and began part-time work at UPS. He preferred work to school and went full-time with UPS, where he worked for 30 years. He was recognized as an outstanding employee with spotless driving and safety records.

While living and working in Reno, he met Karla Joost, whose family has been in Carson City for well over a century. They boated across beautiful Convict Lake, just south of Mammoth Lakes, and were married with the majestic Sierra Nevada in the background. They settled in Carson City.

Jim retired early and was happy in his new life as a stay-at-home dad with daughter Ellie. They loved to cook, creating innovative recipes for family dinners, and made a funny video they called "Cooking with Ellie and Daddy.” They spent time gardening, bike riding, camping, and fishing, and hiked miles to backcountry camps. They also invented a sort of reverse Scrabble game they called "Scramble,” in which they made up new words. Their nicknames while playing their game were Princess Bazumion Cohulu and Xono Oucuiou. The laughter in the house never ceased. He was also teaching Ellie guitar and hoped she would soon start piano lessons. All this and they were just getting started. Jim was a proud father of a wonderful child.

Jim is survived by daughter Ellie, wife Karla, brother Joe, mother Maureen, and father Jim. He will be missed by his many relatives, friends, and, indeed, all who knew him.

Jim said that one day he would like to have his ashes strewn in the Sierra in the beautiful valley of the Silver King, which he regarded as the most beautiful place on earth. In time, he will be joined there by members of his family

An ode to Buck from brother Joe:

Run on with the cool breeze,

Like in our wonder days.

To know you was to love you,

To name you was to praise.