Jim Reed, age 75, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, passed away on October 19, 2023, surrounded by his close family.
Jim was born in Washington, DC, on December 31, 1947, and spent most of his early years in Western Maryland with his beloved parents, Hermann and Marguerite Lauritzen, his two sisters, Solveig and Herdis, and his brother, Kurt. Jim received a BA from Old Dominion University and his Masters in Education from George Washington University. After college, Jim proudly served four years in the US Air Force. Following his service to his country, he worked for 30 years as a Deputy Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In his rewarding career as a counseling psychologist, Jim specialized in the rehabilitation of disabled veterans.
In his younger years, Jim loved playing on the farm with his brother and his dog, Champ, and riding his horse, Corky. As he grew older, Jim was involved in all kinds of sports and adventures to the point where he was readying for a year-long sojourn to Antarctica when Uncle Sam got in the way. Perhaps one of his favorite pastimes was sailing on one of his two sailboats, Orion and Pegasus. Of course, he loved hotdogging around in his red Corvette! Once Jim retired, he took on a new interest, cosmology. Jim loved learning about the universe, the Big Bang theory and all the many questions, with little answers, related to the subject. Per Jim’s request, his family has arranged for his remains to be launched into space aboard the Memorial Space Flight the Enterprise Voyager in early December from Cape Canaveral. A fitting tribute to an endlessly curious soul!
What Jim loved most in the world was his family. His kindness and unselfishness have set a great example for all who knew him, and he will be remembered with love.
Jim leaves behind his beloved wife, Judy, of 35 years, and his children, Everett and his wife, Hue, and their children Kimberly and Sebastian; Scott and his wife, Tiffany, and their children Jake, Maya, and Joshie; and Robert and his partner, Gretchen, and their children Seth and Bodhi. Jim also leaves behind his sister, Herdis, her husband, Rick, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Rest In Peace, My Love
