Ewell Richard Reed

REED, EWELL RICHARD (1934 ~ 2020). The following is an obituary for Richard "Dick" Reed, former member of the Texas House of Representatives. The obituary was provided by Ted Dickey Funeral Home of Plano.

Richard Reed was born in Plano, Texas on February 25, 1934, when Plano was little more than a crossing of two farm-to-market roads and a productive farming community. After graduating from Plano High School, Richard attended Decatur Baptist College (known today as “Dallas Baptist University”) and worked for a short time as a Baptist pastor. He was a machinist by profession, working at Chance Vought Aeronautics (later known as “Ling-Temco-Vought” or “LTV”) and later Texas Instruments.

Richard followed a personal calling to work in John F. Kennedy’s 1960 U.S. Presidential campaign. That became the stimulus for his public service for several years in local government and in serving two terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives representing Dallas County. During his tenure in the Texas House, Richard was one of the historic “Dirty Thirty” House members, who were ultimately responsible for forcing high-ranking Texas Legislature members to resign as a result of their involvement in the infamous “Sharpstown Bank Fraud Scandal.” After his tenure in the Texas House, Richard worked for the Texas Comptroller’s Office, managing one of the North Texas audit offices. His final public service was managing the North Texas Attorney General’s child support divisional office.

Richard married his high school sweetheart, Helen Colene Vest, originally of Caddo, Oklahoma, in 1954. Richard and Colene later moved to Dallas, where they raised four children: Richard Dale Reed, Malcolm Ray Reed, Cynthia Jean Reed-Frederiksen, and Dianna Lynn Reed-McGee.

Richard is survived by his loving and incredible wife of more than sixty-five years, Helen Colene; his sisters, Lucille Lanter and Genny Gowens; his brothers, Jerry, Roy, Charles, Dean, and David; his son, Rick, and his wife, Lynne; his son, Malcolm, and his wife, Nancy; his daughter, Cindy, and her husband, Soren Frederiksen; his daughter, Dianna, and her husband, Bryan McGee; his granddaughters, Hope, Natalie, Megan, Erin, Melissa, Miranda, and Brianna; his grandsons, Matthew and Soren; and eleven great grandchildren and two yet-to-arrive great grandchildren.

Richard was preceded in death by his younger brother, Freddie Malcolm Reed, his father, Joseph Oscar Reed, his mother, Beulah Ellen Robinson-Reed, and his sister, Thelma Anne Reed-Jackson.

The Reed family request that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation (Parkinson.org) or the Leukemia Research Foundation (AllBloodCancers.org).