Alta Mae Reed

St. Joseph - Alta Mae Reed, 97, died at 6:20am on Saturday, August 18, 2018 at Garden View Nursing Home in Tilton, IL. Alta Mae Reed was born Aug. 6, 1921, in Champaign, IL. She was the daughter of Van & Ellen (Dill) Rice of St. Joseph, IL. Her Father delivered ice around the area, and her Mother was a homemaker & seamstress. She had 3 sisters and 1 brother. She graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1940. Alta Mae married Dale L. Reed Sr. on Dec. 3, 1943 in Catlin, IL. They had 3 children: Dale Jr. (1947) employed by Champaign Police Dept & retired from Champaign County Sheriff's Office; Dennis (1953) who was co-owner of Li'l Porgy's BarB-Q; & Karen (1958) who has worked at Burnham Hosp, Covenant/Provena, Carle, & U of I Veterinary College as a Histotechnologist. She was preceded in death by her husband, her 2 sons, Dale L. Reed Jr, and Dennis R. Reed. Alta is survived by her daughter, Karen (David) Reed-Trautman of St. Joseph, a sister, Bernice Wilkinson of Florida, 5 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Alta always wanted to be a nurse. Her inspiration came from the family physician as well as a friend who was attending St. Elizabeth Nursing School in Danville. She found St. E was a great fit for her. She enjoyed all the Nuns & her Nursing Supervisors. She gained knowledge of procedures, instruments, responsibility, dependability, & organization. Most importantly she always kept up on current procedures. She developed into a wonderful, brilliant, intuitive RN which she carried throughout her career and life. Alta graduated in 1943. She started private duty after graduation. In 1944 she worked staff duty at the Veteran's Facility for a few months, then returned to St. E for approximately 9 years. They moved to St. Joseph when her husband returned from the service. He started working at the U of I as a Cement Finisher, and Alta began working at Mercy Hospital, where she was employed for 10 years. In 1968 she started as a Staff Nurse at the U of I McKinley Hospital in Urbana where she worked for 14 years. Alta then retired in April 1982. Alta continued to dedicate herself for family and friends who needed her experience in many different medical conditions. So many individuals are thankful to have had her help for their loved one. Alta loved to garden, cook, and bake. She loved her grandchildren, enjoyed traveling with her friends, and she even rafted down the Snake River. Alta was also a member of Song's Kung Fu Academy from 1990-1998, where they offered demonstrations of T'ai Chi, a form of martial arts to senior citizens groups. Many thanks to Marla Mast, Instructor, for her friendship & support over the years. She will be missed by many, but forever in our hearts. Funeral services will be held at 11am on Friday, August 24, 2018 at Sunset Funeral Home, 710 N. Neil St., Champaign, IL 61820. Minister Hank Sanford will officiate. Graveside committal will follow at Mount Olive Cemetery in Mayview, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Alta's name to the Wounded Warriors Project. Please join her family in sharing memories, photos, and videos on her tribute wall at sunsetfuneralhome.com.