Midge Reed, beloved family matriarch
Mildred “Midge” Ashe Reed, 89, longtime Rehoboth Beach resident and beloved family matriarch, passed peacefully in her home Friday, April 24, 2020. Throughout her courageous seven-month battle with cancer (pleural mesothelioma), and as she drew her last breath, she was surrounded by the love of her family, friends and caregivers.
Born Alice Mildred Ashe April 27, 1930, in Greenville, Pa., she was the youngest of the four children of the late Alice Mildred and Paul Milton Ashe. She graduated from Penn High School and attended Thiel College as a mathematics major before working briefly as a secretary on the Marshall Plan in Washington, D.C. Midge married Paul R. Reed Jr. in 1951. After Paul returned from Korea, they lived in Alexandria, Va., while he attended law school. In 1955, they moved their family to Rehoboth, where Paul’s family had owned a summer home since the 1930s.
Midge was a stay-at-home mom. Her five children were her life’s work, which she performed as a single parent after her divorce in 1970. She dabbled briefly in real estate sales, always had a keen interest in politics and was an active participant at the local level. Midge served on the Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment and remained engaged in town business, even in the last years of her life.
She was a devoted member of Westminster Presbyterian Church since 1956 and served as a deacon and as an elder.She cherished her church family and the faith, friendships and support they shared. Midge was an avid bridge player and enjoyed travel, the beach, the boardwalk, friends and family. She skied the Matterhorn, cruised seven seas, and walked many beaches, but, for the last 65 years, Rehoboth Beach was her much-loved home. Mildred was preceded in death by her parents, and her siblings: Edwin Ashe (Mary), Janet Hogg (Jim), and Paul Ashe (Joanne and Pearl); her dear friend George; and her long-term partner Ray Masten.
Midge is survived by her five children, all of whom live locally: Robert Marshal Reed (Debbie), James Calvin Reed, Ann Revere Reed (Carolyn Ivins), Amy Jane Reed Parker (Preston), Joseph Paul Reed (Dr. Maria Childers Reed); five grandchildren: Ashlee Hidell (Tim), Alexandra Baker (Dan), Paige, Brent and Hope Reed; two stepgrandchildren: Henry and Max Childers; four great-grandchildren: Brock, Marshal and Margot Hidell, and Blake Baker; many nieces and nephews; and her loving caregivers, including Laura Brown, Lynn Mays and especially Tyra Clough and Julia Tingle who sheltered in place with her for the last month.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Midge’s memory to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 301 King Charles Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, interment will be private.
Arrangements are being handled by Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Lewes.
Please visit Midge’s Life Memorial and sign her online guest page at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com
