JOHN REED 'VERY RARE MAN' SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN TRAINED AS OCULARIST, MEAT CUTTER.

Byline: Holly J. Andres Staff Writer

John Reed was a Southern gentleman with a positive attitude who always began a conversation with a smile or a laugh.

Reed, a resident of Van Nuys since 1948, died of a heart attack Monday. He was 84.

``He was a simple man and his family meant the world to him,'' said Reed's youngest daughter, Angela Miller. ``My parents lived in a tiny house forever, but as long as they had a roof over their head and money for food, he was content. He didn't need a huge house or a fancy car. He was a happy person always.''

Reed, who worked as a professional meat cutter before joining the U.S. Army, was trained to make artificial eyes for injured World War II soldiers during his service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Reed moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1947 to work as an ocularist at Birmingham Hospital, now the site of Birmingham High School in Van Nuys. He worked briefly for an eye doctor in Los Angeles after the hospital closed.

After his employer died, Reed re-established his meat-cutting career and worked in markets in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles.

He eventually resumed his ocularist career when he established an office in Santa Ana. He retired in 1995.

``He was tall, dark and handsome,'' said his wife, Bertille. ``He was cool, calm and collected. We were complete opposites who met in the middle. He had the patience of Job. I learned calmness and patience from him.

``He was a quiet, gentle man who never had angry words for anyone. He always had a smile on his face. In this day and age, he was a very rare man.''

Reed concentrated on providing for his family. In his younger years, he liked to bowl but in his later years he was an armchair baseball fan. Reed enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles and trivia and card games.

``He was nonjudgmental - an amazing quality. He was a man of few words but when he did have something to say, it was words of wisdom,'' Miller said. ``My father was an adored person.''

John Harold Reed was born Feb. 2, 1921, in Maubry, Ala. His family moved frequently during his childhood, eventually settling in the Washington, D.C., area.

He met his future wife, Bertille Soucy, on a blind date while in Washington, D.C., and they were married June 10, 1944. The couple lived in Burbank for a year after they moved to California.

Reed is survived by his wife of 61 years, Bertille; three daughters, Diane Smith, Holly Reed and Angela Miller; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service for Reed, who was cremated, was held Thursday at Praiswater Meyer Mitchell Mortuary in Van Nuys.

Donations in his memory may be sent to the Salvation Army or the American Red Cross.

Holly Andres, [phone]

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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