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Kenston Earl Reid

Born in Wilmington, NC March 5th, 1950, Ken spent formative years in the Wilmington school system and graduated Williston High School in Wilmington and soon after joined the army, where he served as a cook and a MP. Upon his honorable discharge from the military, he attended NC A&T followed by Livingstone College where he met the love of his life, Pam Elliott. To this union, on February 7th, 1975, his beloved son, Miller Paul Reid was born.

His love of cooking formed a career that spanned several decades, working as a Manager at Shoney's, the food court at Raleigh Durham Airport and Morrison's Cafeteria. He pivoted from the food industry to insurance where he passed one of the most rigorous tests in the country, The New York State Insurance Exam, on his first try. After retiring from the insurance industry, Ken moved to Shelby in 2013. An Avid NY Yankee fan, Ken loved traveling with his brother Mike to the Yankees Spring Training Camp In Tampa, FL as well as outings with his family to Yankee Stadium. Ken was a true big brother to his siblings, one to whom you could go to with your dilemmas and he always gave great advice. His sister Karyn recalls, after a difficult life experience, He encouraged her to look at life at the point she was in at that moment and accept and find joy in what Is and not for what was. He encouraged her to look to the future and not to the past, which was no longer relevant. His sister Sharyn recalled how she would call him to help her with her high school papers. On one particular occasion, having to write a paper making an argument she called him for advice when she was drawing a blank. He told her, to get their attention, get them talking. His suggestion was to open with a question and offer a profound one, that is still debated today - If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? That opening statement did it and she recalls how her classmates' mouths dropped and by fourth period (from 1st period) people were in the halls commenting about her argument. A great writer and deep thinker, he was highly conversant, incredibly bright with the gift of gab. He welcomed a debate and was well read. You could not be in his presence without engaging in a spirited conversation at some point. And if he couldn't add to the conversation from direct knowledge, he usually would have read a book that gave him the ability to engage thoughtfully on just about any subject. He loved his coffee in the morning along with his newspaper and a cigarette. He could finish the NY times in one day. He was the neatest and slowest eater ever. The only person who ate slower was his mother. He enjoyed conversation with his meal. But don't be fooled even with those small portioned plates he could eat you under the table and he absolutely loved oysters.

Preceded in death by his Mother, Katie, Grandfather Miller and wife Pam, Ken is survived by his son Paul Reid, His daughter-in-law Tasha Reid, his brother Michael Johnson and his sisters Karyn Chester and Sharyn Ingram and Nephew Aaron Johnson and host of family and friends.

Memorial services will be held 11 AM Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at Crowe's Mortuary. Military honors will be provided by the Rutherford County Honor Guard.

Online condolences at crowemortuary.com


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