Thursday, May 26, 2011

Funeral for SEK Construction founder, a Joplin tornado victim, set for Saturday

(The following obituary is taken from the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home website.)

Virgil “Tom” Reid 77, of Columbus, KS died 5:45pm Sunday May 22, 2011 at Joplin, MO during the tornado tragedy in Joplin.

Virgil was born May 14, 1934 in Hallowell, KS the son of Charles Marion “Shorty” and Melba Trucilla (Hutchens) Reid. He was a lifelong resident of the area and a graduate of Columbus High School. He was a Veteran of the Army. In 1959 he married Barbara Napier; they later divorced.

On May 22, 1992 Tom married Jesse Williams in Miami, OK; she survives at the home. Tom worked in construction all his life and started SEK Construction with Ivan Crossland. He also was affiliated with Maxwell Bridge Company in Columbus, KS. Tom retired after working 50 years in construction in 2000.

Tom was a member of the Hallowell Word of Life Church in Hallowell, KS; enjoyed gardening, pecans, coin collecting, elephant collecting, cooking, dominos with his friends and family and finding recipes on the internet.

Survivors include his wife, children Tom D. Reid and wife Rhonda of Columbus, KS, Cindy Davis of Columbus, KS, Robert Cox of Columbus, KS, Rhonda Norris and husband Mike of Owasso, OK and Jeri Lyons and husband Erving of Parsons, KS; an aunt Martha Back of Hallowell, KS; special friends Don and Susan Gurnee of Hallowell, KS who he enjoyed dominos with; grandchildren Brian Reid and wife Jennifer, Hope Von Soosten, Alexander Cox and wife Heather, Samantha Cox, Cassie Norris, MacGyver Norris, Elyjah Lyons and Aliyah Lyons; and great-grandchildren Madalyne, Monica and Copper Dean Reid.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Richard Reid.

Memorial Services will be 10 a.m, Saturday May 28, 2011 at the Hallowell Word of Life Church in Hallowell, KS with Pastor Richard Stapleton officiating. Burial will take place at a later date in McKee Cemetery in Rural Cherokee County. In lieu of flowers the family ask expressions of sympathy be in the form of memorials to the Hallowell Word of Life Church in Hallowell, KS. Friends may drop off or mail memorials to Bath-Naylor Funeral Home 611 S. East Ave. Columbus, KS 66725. E-mail

condolences may be left at www.bathnaylor.com. Arrangements are by Bath-Naylor Funeral Home of Columbus, KS.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear about the loss - it's comforting to know so many local area companies are helping with the Joplin development, such as EMD General Construction Inc. and several contractors in the Springfield area.