Vernon R. Reed

Vernon (Vern) R. Reed, age 90, of Elkhorn, WI, passed away on Friday, July 17, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Vern was born on October 20, 1935, in Elkhorn, WI. The son of the late George and Laura (Deisinger) Reed. He was united in marriage to his loving wife, Beverly “Bev” (Saltzmann) Reed at Norway Lutheran Church on June 1, 1963. They were married for 63 beautiful years and created a wonderful family and life. Their foundation was built on love, trust and having the same thing in common- raising a wonderful family. They taught their kids and grandkids values and how to be hardworking and self-efficient. In Vern’s early life, he was drafted to the U.S. Army and proudly served. He worked at Allied Music then eventually became part-owner of Reed’s Construction, LLC and was a part of the company for 35 years. Vern and Bev also built their farm and farmed as a hobby then became their lifestyle. They loved taking care of their farm with their children and they also built their second home 15 years apart.

He loved building and restoring vehicles. He started with a 1955 Chevy convertible to replace the one he sold when he had to go in the army and a 1947 Harley Davidson that he has sold when they were first married. He then rebuilt and restored a 1954 Ford Pickup and a 1954 Chevy Pick up. When he and Bev went on trips, different times he would come home with another vehicle to restore. He was very handy and would always make things work. He didn’t ask for help, or hire anyone to help him with projects, he would figure it out and do it, a very valuable trait that he passed down to his kids and grandkids. One of his favorite memories was that is grandsons, Logan and Dalton & Uncle Jon went to Sturgis with him and grandma, a place that him and Bev had gone to for years. His family was his entire world, and he loved spending time with them. He will be deeply missed but he will continue to be loved and thought of with all of the unforgettable memories he created and left behind.

Vern is survived by his wife, Bev Reed; children, Melinda (Paul) Peterson, Michele Batz, Jeff (Karen) Reed, Jared (Lisa) Reed and Jon (Rebecca Marschner) Reed; sister, Mildred Boness; grandchildren, Makalyn (Nate) Soltvedt, Olivia (Trent Hernandez) Peterson, Logan (Steph), Dalton (Lillie Cauffman), Megan (Kyle Kurth) Batz, Nathanial Reed, Alex Petrie and Kaylie (Parker) Beitzer, Ben, Sarah, and Becca Reed; great grandchildren, Kynslee Soltvedt, Montana, Montgomery, Harlee and Huxlynn Batz; sister-in-law, Kay Reed and brother-in-law, Wayne Sterken.

Vern is preceded in death by his parents, George and Laura Reed; siblings, Earl (Naomi), Robert (Fran), Ivan (Verona), Loyd (Evelyn), Dale (Ginger), Glenn (Betty), Donnie and Pearl Reed, and Erma (Chuck) Fellows, Dorothy (Obe) Oberli, Darlene Sterken and brother-in-law, Melvin Boness. 

The family would like to give a special thank you to Heartland Hospice. And a special thank you to Morgan Waldron, Kim Reed and Rebecca Marschner. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made to St. Judes Hospital, St. Jude Children Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or https://www.stjude.org/give.html and St. John’s Lutheran Church, 104 S. Broad St., Elkhorn, WI, 53121.

A Funeral Service will take place on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the funeral home, 730 N Wisconsin St., Elkhorn, WI, 53121 at 11:00AM. Visitation will take place at the funeral home from 9:00AM until the time of service. Burial with Military Honors will take place at Norway Hill Cemetery, 6235 Heg Park Rd., Waterford, WI, 53185 at 2:30PM. Haase- Lockwood & Associates Funeral Homes and Crematory of Elkhorn, is honored to serve the Reed family. Online condolences can be made at http://www.haaselockwoodfhs.com.