Eldon “Skip” Reed

May 25, 2026

 Eldon “Skip” Dwane Reed, age 75, passed away peacefully at home in Syracuse, Kansas surrounded by his family on May 17, 2026. 

Skip was born January 21,1951 to Eldon “Bub” and Phyllis (Hartshorn) Reed. Bub worked at the John Deere Dealership, showing Skip the ropes from an early age. Skip graduated from Syracuse High School in 1969, where he was recognized as a man of many talents: he played lineman on the Syracuse football team, he won the John Phillips Sousa Award for playing the trumpet, and he was voted “Wittiest” by his classmates, a character trait he embodied through his final days. He began college at Emporia State University before he eventually transferred to Kansas State University, earning a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1972, which helped shape his lifelong commitment to agriculture and rural business. For most of his career, Skip owned and managed R&H Implement, later Golden Rule, and he was known across the region for his steady leadership and fairness, willing to help anyone who walked through his door. He also served the city of Syracuse as a member of the city council and the hospital board, giving back to the community he loved and never wanted to leave. 

Skip met Susan Wasinger in Garden City in the fall of 1976, and they were married June 3, 1978. Skip and Susan had Cody in 1979, Justin in 1982, and Tanner in 1988. Tanner was born on Father’s Day, and the Southwest Kansas Cattle Women presented Skip with a certificate for a beef bundle equal to Tanner’s weight, 8 pounds & 4 ounces. After becoming a father, Skip would spend the following years actively involved in their activities, coaching Little League teams and watching whatever sport or activity the boys were involved in. Skip’s love for his K-State Wildcats and Manhattan, Kansas would be passed on to his boys, who all three graduated from his alma mater. In particular, K-State football games were a significant family event, and he created decades of memories for his sons and grandsons.

Skip loved the outdoors, spending countless hours fishing, hunting, and golfing.  He and Susan were founding members of the “Deuce Club” at Tamarisk Golf Course and were still working on their golf game together. Skip and his close friends Terryl Spiker and Billy Lewis could often be found in their beat up blaze-orange Ram Charger, heading out to the sand hills to call coyotes, to their blind near the Arkansas river to call in ducks, or to hunt quail and pheasants with their kids.

Skip was also an accomplished woodworker who poured his creativity and craftsmanship into home improvement projects, from floors and ceilings to cabinets and custom details. He also loved specialty projects he gifted his sons, grandsons, and other family members, the most cherished of which were the wooden baby cradles he made for each of his sons when they became fathers. 

In 2010, Susan and Skip bought a mountain cabin in Cuchara, Colorado, and they immediately acclimated to life in the mountains, making new friends and working to make the cabin the haven it became to all of his family members. Skip brought his woodworking skills to the deck, adding intricate details to the railings and building a beautiful picnic table with a built-in fire pit. He also had a covered pergola added so everyone could sit outside and enjoy the beauty of the mountains, rain or shine. 

When Skip eventually became “Papaw,” he was loved and adored by the next generation of Reed boys. Cyrus, Coen, Hank, Calvin, and Auggie had the biggest fan in Skip, and he loved watching them play sports, sing, and dance. 

Whether in Syracuse, Cuchara, or traveling to visit his grandkids, Skip was always happiest and the most at peace when he was with Susan. She was his partner in every sense of the word, and he never wanted to be away from her. His devotion was unwavering, and his loyalty to Susan and his family was one of Skip’s most endearing qualities. He loved nothing more than being surrounded by friends and family, talking business and sports, and telling stories about his family and friends. Whether on his deck at the cabin, in his house in Syracuse, or around the fireplace at the John Deere store, you would regularly and repeatedly hear him say “it just doesn’t get any better than this.” 

Skip was preceded in death by his parents, Eldon and Phyllis Reed.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Susan (Wasinger) Reed, and his three sons and five grandsons: Cody Reed and his wife, Melissa, of Dallas, Texas; Justin Reed and his wife, Jill Sage, of Fort Collins, Colorado; and Tanner Reed and his wife, Danielle Underwood, of Austin, Texas. His beloved grandchildren are Cyrus and Coen Reed, Hank and Calvin Reed, and August Reed. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Sondra Reed Huser.

All are welcome to celebrate Skip’s life at a graveside service Monday, June 29 at 10 am at the Syracuse Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the LaVeta Fire Protection District Auxiliary (LVFPD Aux).