George Wayne Reid

George W. Reid died July 16, 2019, at Mantey Heights Rehabilitation and Care Center in Grand Junction, CO. He was born on November 11, 1920, to Hiram W. and Ora Reid in Sunset, TX. As a young man, he loved playing and working on his Pappy Schoemaker’s 160-acre farm outside of Sunset. He attended schools in Sunset and graduated from high school in 1938. He continued to work for and help Pappy on the farm until 1944, when he was drafted to serve in World War II. He was stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and was wounded there two days before the Japanese surrendered and signed the peace treaty. He was awarded two medals for his service: a Purple Heart medal as a result of a spinal gunshot wound during the battle to capture Okinawa, and a Bronze Star that was awarded for his heroic and meritorious service on Okinawa. For his excellent military service, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and honorably discharged from the Army on April 14, 1946. After his discharge, he returned to Texas and began working in the oil field pipeline business. This work eventually took him to Meeker, CO, where he met and married Maxine Steinmetz on January 10, 1954.

As his duties and obligations increased through the years, he was promoted to oil well business manager and superintendent, a job that took him and Maxine to Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and throughout Colorado. On August 21, 1956, they celebrated the birth of their daughter Janice in Greensburg, KS. They moved and settled in Ft. Morgan, CO, and George continued to travel extensively and drill oil wells in many states. On July 10, 1963, George Wesley was born to them in Ft. Morgan. In February 1964, while George was drilling a well in Ohio, he suffered a severe hand injury at the rig site and retired from the oil business. The family moved from Ft. Morgan to Palisade, CO, where he and Maxine bought and operated the Fawn Gift Shop, located four miles east of Palisade, for 30 years.

As part of the Palisade community, George became a member of American Legion Post #50 in 1970 and served as Commander for five years. He was also a lifetime member of the Grand Junction VFW Post #3981. In March 2019, he was awarded a VFW 40-year membership pin at a small ceremony in his home. He was a member of the Palisade Christian Church for over 35 years and served on different occasions as a deacon and elder. From 1966-1982, he was employed as a District 51 school bus driver. After that, he shuttled cars for nearly eight years for Avis Rental, driving as far as California and Arizona.

He leaves behind his wife, Maxine, of 65 years; daughter, Janice Reid-Davis and son-in law, Stephen Davis of Grand Junction; son, George Wesley and daughter-in-law, Carrie Reid of Pittsburgh, PA; granddaughter, Mallory DeZwarte and her husband, Ryan DeZwarte, and two great-grandchildren, Maxwell and Addison of Kellogg, IA. He also leaves behind a daughter, Janie Reid, from a previous marriage, who resides in Clearwater, FL.

Visitation will be at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Monday, August 5. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. at Callahan-Edfast on Tuesday, August 6. Interment will follow at Veteran's Memorial Cemetery at 1 p.m.

The family requests donations be made to HopeWest of Grand Junction, whose team members lovingly cared for George in his final months.