Mayetta Reed

Mayetta Reed was born January 31, 1929 to the late William and Helen Reed
(Smith). She rejoined them on March 30, 2012 at the age of 83.
Mayetta was the oldest of seven children and assumed the role of the caregiver at an
early age. She has been the head of the ?Reed Clan? for over 60 years. She was a strong and
independent person.
Mayetta was born, raised, lived and died as a resident of the Walnut Hills community.
She loved her community and worked faithfully to make it a community to be proud of.
She served on the Walnut Hills Area Council as a board member and representative to
various neighborhood organizations. She also served on the Walnut Hills Redevelopment
Foundation for many years. In December, 2011, she was honored as one of the lifetime
residents of the Walnut Hills community.
She graduated from Douglass Junior High School in 1943 and from Withrow High
School in 1946 at the age of 17. Mae was a faithful member of the Douglass School
Alumni. The alumni is the oldest alumni of an elementary school in the City of Cincinnati.
She worked with the school on the LSDMC for many years to assist in providing a
quality education to the youth of her community.
Because of discrimination, Mayetta was rejected from nursing school, but that did not
stop her from pursuing her desire to become a nurse. She was a nurses aide at the General
Hospital for over 35 years and was respected by her peers and doctors. Mae worked in the
Newborn Nursery for 34 years. She helped teach many doctors during that time.
The Smith girls were actively involved in Bethel Baptist Church, so their children were
active at a young age. Mayetta joined Bethel in 1938 at the age of nine. She was a member
of the Sunshine Band, Youth Choir, Inspiration Choir, Progressive Club, the Voices,
Hospitality Committee, Midday Bible Study Class, Sunday School Class #25 and served
as a Trustee of the church.
Mayetta gave birth to five children: Althea, Carla, Anthony, William (Bill) and
Douglass. She also mothered Houston McNeil and took in many others. Her children are
left with memories of her playing in the street in a game of Red Rover, organizing Tuxedo
Place Zoo Day and starting the Reed?s Christmas Eve. Every year before her health started
failing her, she would start cooking the week before Thanksgiving with tables of desserts
and food. Everyone that has eaten her special mac and cheese or homemade yeast rolls,
can find no other that compares. A Thanksgiving tradition was always to invite
someone less fortunate to dinner. We thank her for the memories. Mayetta, affectionately known as Mama, Grandma Reed, Aunt Mae and Ms. Mae
leaves to cherish their memories: two daughters, Althea Reed Myles and Carla Webb;
four sons, Anthony, William, Douglass (Nyree) Reed and Houston McNeil; one sister,
Luella Davis; sister-in-law, Barbara Reed; three brothers, Charles, Clarence and Michael
(Carla) Reed; 17 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; two ex-daughter-in-laws,
Terri Nelms and Candice Reed. She joined in heaven with her parents, William and Helen
Reed; brother, Alvin (Butch) Reed; sister, Velma Reed; loving cousin, Juanita Crews; best
friend, Juanita Henderson; niece, Teresa Williams; son-in-law, Otis Myles; and a host of
family and friends.