Doug Reed

Raymond Douglas Reed (Doug) left this troubled world behind on Sunday, September 22, 2024. He was at his home in El Paso, Texas, surrounded by friends and family members when he drew his last breath. Only a few weeks before, he had celebrated his 77th birthday. At the time, he pointed out that he had lasted longer than the average life expectancy of men in the U.S. 

However, Doug himself was far from average. He always looked for new and exciting experiences, perhaps starting at age 15 when he and a friend ran away from home in Fort Worth to try to capture wild horses in northern New Mexico. In 1967, he left college in Denton for San Francisco where he spent time as a street performer. In the 1980s, he dodged hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico on his sailboat while returning from Mexico. 

Doug had a well-spent life. An amateur musician, he played in a jug band in Austin that performed in the Armadillo World Headquarters’ beer garden and sometimes opened for big-name acts. He held many different jobs—as a “ramp rat” directing planes for Continental Airlines in West Texas, as a landscaper on the Texas coast, testing concrete on big construction projects in Houston, as co-owner of a coffee and juice bar, and building homes in Austin and the mountains of southern New Mexico. He enjoyed traveling—in Canada and the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America, and in Europe.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents: Raymond Duke Reed and Iris Alberta Pierce. Doug is survived by his wife and partner of more than forty years, Claudia Rivers, his sisters Dianne Wohletz (Jim) and Linda Lackey, his son Ralph Benjamin Maines (Miranda Belansky), and his grandson Sawyer Lincoln Maines. He is also survived by many friends, including Carlos Rivera who was almost like a second son, and extended family members who will all miss his humor, generosity, and great stories. 

Doug did not want a funeral, so, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to a charity of your choice. Doug often donated to Doctors Without Borders, Disabled American Veterans, and to wildlife and conservation organizations. An informal memorial service may be organized in the future.