Elmer Leon Reed, age 84, of San Antonio, Texas, previously of Russellville, Arkansas, died Thursday, April 2, 2026, at Lakeside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in San Antonio, Texas.  He was born on May 6, 1941, in Scranton to William and Artie Reed.

Leon Reed was full of love for his family and Southern charm.  He prized the time spent with his beloved parents, beautiful sisters and adventurous brothers in his early years. He had a special fondness for his uncles Bill and Carroll, naming his 2nd son after them.  Leon also had much joy in the company of his extended family.

He was an avid music lover listening to his family members play, and numerous shows on the radio like the Grand Ole Opry, the Wolfman Jack Show, and America's Top 40. On TV, he enjoyed watching the Sonny and Cher, Hee Haw, and Sha Na Na music shows, to name a few. Leon really enjoyed singing along to his favorite artists like Buddy, Fats, Johnny, Waylon, and Dolly, along with so many others while recording and mixing the songs and shows. His favorite songs came from Country Western, Rock n Roll, and bluegrass across many decades. When he discovered music on YouTube, one of his favorite videos was 'The Walk of Life' by Dire Straights.

Leon had eclectic TV and movie favorites too, from comedy, to variety, science fiction, space, nature, Westerns, musicals, drama, and documentaries. One of his all time favorites was Star Trek.

He was very competitive enjoying bowling, softball, golf, and fishing with the losing fish usually ending up as dinner many times. He also loved participating in these activities with his children or watching them participate in their own competitions. Leon's favorite sports to watch were football, baseball, basketball, golf, NASCAR, the Triple Crown horse races, and the Iditarod Sled Dog race going downtown on 4th Avenue to watch the ceremonial start as many years as he could be there.

He loved homemade Southern food, especially pinto beans with cornbread, fried pork chops and potatoes, and banana pudding. He also enjoyed Mexican and Chinese food, pizza, vanilla milkshakes, chocolate candy bars, and just about any kind of pie.

Born in small town, Arkansas, Leon grew up to travel the world.  He moved around towns in Arkansas and to a few different states with his family as a child.

Leon then joined the United States Air Force before he graduated high school, and traveled to Texas for training, then Oregon for his first tour of service where he met his first wife, Lorna, on a blind date set up by his roommate.

Their first son, Thomas, was born in Oregon before the new little family headed off to an assignment in Europe where Leon and Lorna added a daughter, Corinna, and another son, William, to their family. New orders brought the now bigger family to Colorado with a temporary assignment to Asia during that time before heading off on a new assignment in California.

After 5 years, new orders arrived for Alaska, his dream location. He drove with his family from California to Washington state, onto a ferry, then into Canada, and drove the rest of the way to Alaska reveling in the natural beauty of the mountains and waters and later retiring from his active military service. Along the way while in the Air Force, Leon received his high school diploma, many awards, and achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant.

He was very happy when he was able to bring his family to Arkansas for visits, and when his family came to see him.

Leon especially loved when his brother Jim came to Oregon and Colorado (this time with some of his family), his momma and brother, David, came to California, and his sister, Lois, and her son, Chance, visited Alaska. He also took his family for a holiday visit to see his sister, Grace, and her family in California while both were living there. During his time in the states, he loved to have at least one cat in the family with Fatsmo and Muffin being the ones in Alaska.

Later, Leon moved back to Arkansas and had precious time with his momma before she died.

Leon met and married Ruth and gained more children and grandchildren who he loved as his own. He traveled with Ruth several years through and to many more states from coast to coast visiting out-of-state family and seeing the sights. Some of their favorite trips were to Washington State and Washington D. C. Back home in Arkansas Leon spent many hours each day with Ruth enjoying gardening and the wild birds in their backyard. He loved their three little Yorkies and spoiled them as much as possible, too.

Leon really enjoyed holidays, special occasions, and sports gatherings with Ruth and his new family members, including her children and their wives and husband, Rick and Elizabeth (many times the hosts who, along with their children made delicious BBQ and other wonderful foods), Rhonda and Michael, and Michael and Carissa; and grandchildren, plus out-of-state family when in town.

After Ruth died, Leon continued to enjoy the treasured gatherings at Rick and Elizabeth's, or at favorite local Mexican and pizza restaurants. One of his favorite outings included zipping around in the convertible with Elizabeth and Anna wearing cool sunglasses.

Leon also loved gatherings with the Reed family where he could visit with his momma and his sisters Grace, Jessie, Sharon, and Lois, who would spoil him with his favorite dishes, and he could hang out with his brothers, Jim and David. He had a really great time when a lot of his Reed, Patterson, Walker, Hottinger, and Standridge in-laws, nephews, nieces, and their families could be there, too.

He was able to come to Texas a few years after Ruth died and spent his cherished last few months with his daughter, Corinna, and grandson, Michael, before he died in his sleep. During that short time Rick and Elizabeth were able to come visit, bringing their son, John, and his girlfriend. He was also able to FaceTime with his son, Bill, and daughter-in-law, Samantha, and their family way up North.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth; two sons, Thomas and Ronnie; a daughter and son-in-law, Rhonda and Michael; a brother, James; sisters, Grace and Jessie; uncles, Bill and Carroll; a grandson-in-law, Joshua; and several other beloved family and extended family members.

Survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, William and Samantha;

Rick and Elizabeth; and Michael and Carissa; a daughter Corinna; a brother, David; two sisters, Sharon and Lois; seven grandchildren and their spouses, Michael, Jessica, Lauren and Mitchel, Anna and Aaron, John, Tyler, and Dylan; three great-grandchildren, Kevin, Samantha, and Maeve; numerous beloved cousins, nephews, nieces, and additional extended family members.

The memorial service with Military Honors provided by the Little Rock Air Force Base Honor Guard will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Shinn Chapel with the Rev. John Palmer officiating under the direction of Shinn Funeral Service of Russellville.

The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the chapel.

Online guestbook and condolences available at www.shinnfuneral.com.