Bill J. Reed transitioned to his heavenly home Saturday, August 27, 2022, after a two-year, heroic battle with pancreatic cancer and lymphoma. He was born on June 1, 1936, in Bazette, Texas, and was the son of C.L. and Edna Earl Reed.
Bill grew up in Kerens and Athens, Texas, and played sports in both schools. He surrendered to the ministry as a teenager at the First Baptist Church of Kerens.
He attended Baylor University on a Presidential Scholarship and double majored in speech and religion. He met Marlene Mints on her first day at Baylor, and they were married three years later. During his time at Baylor, he served at First Baptist Church of Clifton, Texas. He attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth and studied religious education. During his 45 years in ministry, he served at First Baptist Church of West Monroe, Louisiana; River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston; and Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham. He served as President of the Metro Ministers of Education Association of the Southern Baptist Convention. He led conferences at Glorieta and Ridgecrest and workshops on church growth.
When Bill and Marlene came to Waco in 2005, he immediately began working with Sherry Castello at the Gospel Café and served there for 15 years. In 2012, he began serving as the Pastor of the Protestant Church at Providence Ascension Retirement Center and remained there until his death. He was an active member of First Woodway Baptist Church where he served on the Personnel Committee for several years and was a member of the GIFT class.
He is survived by his wife, Marlene; daughter, Dr. Rochelle Brunson and husband, Kirk, and their two children, Barclay and Blair Brunson; son, William Barclay Reed and wife, Janet, and their sons, Justin, Brandon, and Jason Reed; sister, Gloria Gately and husband, Steven; sister-in-law, Maxine Dorriety and husband, Carl; brother-in-law Mannon Mints and wife, Dottie; and a number of cousins, nieces, and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, Bill has requested that gifts be made to the Gospel Café in care of Crossties Ecumenical Church, P.O. Box 324, Waco, TX 76706.
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