John P. Reed, 72, was born November 18, 1945, in Bloomington, the son of the late Thomas Paul Reed and Bernadine Marie (Dorsey). He died peacefully May 27, 2018, at his home in Heyworth, surrounded by his family from complications of lung cancer.

 

John attended Trinity Grade School, Bloomington and Central Catholic High School, Bloomington from 1959 to 1963. He was an outstanding football player, an all-conference full back. After graduation from high school, John Reed attended Illinois State University from 1963 to 1965. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in December 1965, and served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967.

 

After completing his military service, John returned to Bloomington to work for his father, the owner of Reed Electric. John passed his apprenticeship and became a journeyman electrician. After his father’s death in 1979, he became the master electrician for Reed Electric until he retired in 2010.

 

John was a volunteer for Heyworth Hornets Football, an avid fan of ISU Redbirds and a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, attending the games frequently. There wasn’t an ISU tailgate that John missed!

 

John had a lifelong love affair with motorcycling and the culture surrounding it. He enjoyed riding dirt bikes with his son, Johnny around the family farm in Heyworth. He attended motorcycle races across the Midwest with friends and family members.

 

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Linda (Johnston) Reed; his daughter, Michelle "Shelly" Reed of Bloomington, IL; his son, John M. Reed of Austin, TX; and his stepsons, David Cooprider of Downs, IL and Richard Cooprider of Austin, TX. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Jordan Tate, Emmie Shanine, Ashton Cooprider, and Caitlyn Cooprider, his sister, Judith Krause of Las Vegas, NV, and brother, Thomas Reed of New Castle, DE.

 

Memorial services will be private. Memorial services will be announced later.