Anthony D. Reed

The peaceful transition of Anthony D. Reed (Tony) on October 18, 2017, ended his physical suffering but began his journey into everlasting life.  Tony was a true believer in the Grace and Mercy of Jesus Christ and placed his trust in God to overcome all obstacles placed in his path.  He stood firmly on his favorite Bible verse: "Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).Tony, the youngest of eight siblings, was born on February 17, 1958 in Washington D.C. to the late Freddean and Chauncey DeWitt Reed Jr. He is preceded in death by four siblings-- Lawrence Reed, Faybe R. Milton, Shirley R. Milburn, and Chauncey D. Reed III.  He attended District of Columbia Public Schools and graduated from Anacostia High in 1976 where he was a member of the basketball team.  A week after graduation, he met Beverly Ann Philson at the Naval Research Lab where they were working as summer interns.  One day in 1976, while at a laundromat, he was approached by two members of the Navigators Christian Ministry. It was during this chance encounter he accepted Christ in his life and was a warrior for Christ until his last day in life.  As he put it, when he left the laundromat that day he was "clean from the inside out."After attending the University of Maryland for several years where he majored in communications, he joined the U.S. Army.  Shortly after enlisting, he and Beverly were married on September 29, 1979.  To this union were born three children-- Amber, Brandon, and Kendall.  He served four years in the Army and was honorably discharged in 1983.  After leaving his assigned duty station in Germany, he moved his family to Ankeny, Iowa where he attended Faith Baptist Bible College and received a Bachelor's Degree in Pastoral Theology in 1987.Determined to one day establish a church, he moved his family to Ohio and was involved in church planting from 1992-1998.  In 1998 he returned to the Washington D.C. area and in addition to continuing his ministry, pursued an IT career.  Toward this goal, he taught Microsoft applications at the Sanz School in Washington D.C. and held IT positions at several non-profit organizations.  At the time of his illness, he was working as a Federal contractor with the Department of Defense.He had a voracious appetite for studying the Bible and everything relevant to the Bible.  the joy he received from just reading, studying, and researching the Bible was overwhelming.  but his thirst for knowledge didn't stop there.  He w interesting in a very broach range of topics; to name a few-- history, politics, sports, biographies of world leaders and other historical figures, and trivia.  He was also passionate about studying foreign languages, especially Greek and Hebrew and taught himself conversational French and German.  Not only did he want to continue to learn but instilled in his children the importance of continuing education.  During the summer breaks he insisted they read the books he collected on Black history, AND, he required them to provide him with book reports!  He was determined that all of his children world attend college, and they did.  He also encouraged his wife to pursue a Master's Degree.  At the onset of his illness, he was also pursuing a Master's Degree in Counseling.Tony loved all genres of music but had a special love for gospel and country western.  He loved the sing, make people laugh, tell stories about his childhood, and hard lessons he learned from his parents whom he held in the highest esteem and loved and respected to the end.  He never met a stranger- he could strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere.  As dire as his chemotherapy treatments were, he used music to bring joy.   Not only to himself, but to other patients as well.  One patient once remarked, "This is the best chemo ever!"  Again standing firmly on scripture, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort where with we ourselves are comforted of God (II Corinthians 1:3-4).Every time one of his children complained about being tired, he would say, "You're tired? Let me tell you about Job" and they immediately knew a long lecture was about the ensue.  Another one of his memorable quotes is, "No excuses, no explanations, just get it done."  And that, in a nutshell, sums up the kind of person he was.   He was not afraid to take risks and he had an insatiable desire to succeed in whatever he undertook.  Even when diagnosed with a fatal illness, like Davis, Joshua, Gideon, and other warriors in the Bible, he  was not afraid to fight to the end.  Always stating that he wanted to "make this messimony a testimony," he was a true exampled of what it means to be steadfast in the Word and faithful to the end.  "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoice; my flesh also shall rest in hope (Psalms 16:8-9).He loved his family with all his heart and always put the first in every decision he made.  He is loved by many and will be gravely missed by all who knew him.  He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Beverly Ann Reed, one daughter-- Amber R. Beckles (Anthony), two sons-- Brandon J. Reed (Lindsay), and Kendall A. Reed, one grandson-- Anthony Eugene Beckles III, four sisters-- Helen Johnson, Myrtle R. Breland, Brenda K. Head (Reginald), and Jacqueline R. Reed (Leon), his father-in-law-- James Philson, two aunts-- Marcie Lee Reed McCray (Isom) and Camelia Webster (Robert), and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews.