Obituary of Muriel Reed

Muriel “Merle” L. Evans was born December 5, 1918 in the city of Fossil, Oregon. Her parents spent their entire married lives in Fossil and became prominent town fixtures: Will Evans became City Marshall and Maude Busby Evans became town librarian, at one time the oldest working librarian in the United States.Muriel married Bob Johns in 1939, and the union produced sons Bill (born 1941) and Chuck (born 1943). This marriage ended in divorce, and she married Dean Reed on June 13, 1946. They lived in Mitchell and Portland before ending up in North Bend, where Dean’s trucking company (Asbury) assigned him in 1956. North Bend was the family’s home for many years.By the time Dean retired, Muriel and Dean lived in Eugene. For the next 25 years, they wintered in Arizona. The Yuma senior park was a busy place for them. Muriel was a championship shuffleboard player and they both loved to attend the weekly dances. Their favorite “dancing tune” was ‘Elvira’.Most people would say “smart” and “funny” when asked to describe Muriel. She continued to excel at crossword puzzles for into her 90s, despite being legally blind. But more than anything, she loved telling a good joke.Muriel is survived by sons Bill and Chuck; grandsons Kelly, Chuck, Jimmy and Michael; granddaughters Kate and Heather; and 13 great-grandchildren. One of her joys was assisting with a family summer camp, which entailed teaching some of the great-grandkids her favorite old songs, participating in tea parties in fancy hats and necklaces, and acting in the summer play at the end of camp. It won’t be the same without her.A funeral service is to take place Saturday April 13, 2013 at Fossil Methodist Church, at 1pm.Arrangements by Musgrove Family Mortuary in Eugene.