On Monday, February 3, 2020, my best friend, Dr. James E. Reed, was laid to rest.  One of the great honors of my life was to assist with the funeral by giving the eulogy.  The funeral was conducted at the First United Methodist Church in Dothan, Alabama.  I am grateful to the ministers, especially Dr. Sanders, who made me feel welcomed and who embraced my idiosyncrasies in stride.  The ministers were also good sports regarding the lighthearted bantering between Baptists and Methodists.

My reason for sharing the eulogy is to give a snapshot of a great and Godly man.  Please excuse any lapses in grammar or writing style.  I am printing this transcript as close to what I said in the service as possible:

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I want to begin by making sure we’ve got something straight.  I’m not worthy.  I’m not worthy of doing this.  I’m not sure anyone is.  For you see, there’s just so much to tell.  There’s too much about James Reed for one person to share in this setting.

For instance, I’m not even going to have time to talk about his love of moon pies…or fried pies.  My goodness, James would stop and buy homemade fried pies at roadside stores where I wouldn’t eat anything in the place.

I’m not going to have time to talk about the Cajun twin sisters, Sayidid and Sayido.

I’m not going to have time to talk of his love of Alabama Crimson Tide football…Roll Tide!

I’m not even going to have time to talk about the practical things I learned from James like how to make a cup of coffee with cream and sugar without having to stir it.

There’s just so much.  In fact, I’m considering the proposal of a “James Reed Day” where family and friends get together, eat moon pies and “good” barbeque, play cards, and tell “James Reed Stories.”  The date of that event is to be determined.

Now, Dr. Sanders, in the Baptist church, we would call that an announcement, so I hope you won’t count it against my time today.

And so, on to James Reed….

You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealin’s done

My friend, since the dealing’s done, you can go ahead and start counting.  And while you’re counting, we’ll be counting too.  We will be counting the blessing for having shared time sitting at the table with you.

Speaking of counting, I read to you a scripture from Numbers 13.  I don’t normally read from the King James, but for reasons that will become obvious, today I do.

32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

I know it may be hard for you to believe, but in my 30 plus years of preaching, I’ve never preached a sermon on this text….that was supposed to be funny.

Over 30 years ago, James Reed created a fantasy baseball league called Boxscore Baseball League and he named his team the Sons of Anak….the giants in the land.  And I will proclaim to you the rest of us in the league were in our own sight as grasshoppers.  Some of those grasshoppers are among us today.

As I said, I’ve never preached a sermon on this text.  I haven’t needed to because I’ve seen this sermon lived.  For you see, James Reed was a giant of a man in so many ways.

James Reed was a giant when it came to living life to the fullest.  He loved life.  He enjoyed life…every day.  He just had fun living.  He pulled as much out of life as he possibly could and he certainly did not take life for granted.  And I guess one reason he enjoyed life so much is that he just knew how to live it.

How many times did I hear him say “take it to the limit one more time”?  Most often, it was after he had made a devastating trade in fantasy baseball…devastating to the other owner, that is.  His example of living life to the fullest touched everyone around him.  And the more time you spent with him, the more it rubbed off on you.  There were people who did not know him for very long but who were still greatly influenced by him…because he knew that life is precious and good and worth living to the fullest.

I would call him, intending to talk baseball…by the way, when he was wanting to talk baseball, he would answer by saying “Oh Brother Chuck” and I would reply, “Oh Brother Reed”…but there were times when he would answer and say, “I’m taking my grandson to get some of that good ice cream and we are going to decide whether to get vanilla or chocolate and I will call you later.”  He was always showing others how to live life to the fullest.

Part of that involved a work ethic that was second to none.  This man knew the definition of work.  Everyone in my family either worked for him or with him throughout the years.  When we first got to seminary and were as green as gourds, he took us under his wing and Martha became his secretary. 

Among her duties of typing lecture notes, textbook manuscripts, sermon notes and baseball statistics, she remembered him saying more than once that you need to work hard and play hard and have fun along the way.  She said that he worked hard during the day in order to get home as soon after Jane and the kids got home so he could have fun and spend as much time with family as possible.

During his tenure as director of the Social Science Division at Northwest Community College in MS where I worked, he graciously hired both my daughters to be his work studies during their time there.  Without a doubt, they learned so much about living life to the fullest just by being in the presence of James Reed.  My younger daughter, Laura, is here today.  I asked her if Dr. Reed ever called her in to talk with her and she said, “Oh, yes.  Even when I knew I should be working, we would talk in his office.  And most of the time, it was about what was going on with me and what my thoughts were.”

Another part of living life to the fullest involved an enjoyment of music.  I’ve already referenced a couple of songs….His love of music could certainly be classified as eclectic.

I asked a co-worker of his from the college, Whitney Nickels, to send me a list of some of his favorite music artists.  She and James had some kind of musical bond between them.  Here’s the list she sent:

His favorite was Bob Dylan…no surprise there….Listen to her list: Alison Krauss, Nina Simone, Jimmie Rodgers, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Eric Clapton, John Denver, Otis Redding, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Allman Brothers.  And I’m sure many of you could add to this list.  From country to pop to folk to bluegrass and everything in between. 

Fred Grissom, one of those baseball owners and grasshoppers, who is here today, told me last night that it was amazing how James could memorize music lyrics.  But the most incredible thing was that he could remember the 2^nd verse too.

James is the one who introduced me to the blues with the likes of John Lee Hooker (Boom, boom, boom, boom…), Muddy Waters, and Louis Jordan…the King of the Jukebox…singing what has become a favorite of mine, “Somebody Done Hoodooed the Hoodoo Man.”  I can assure you that I would have never been exposed to this song but for my time spent with James Reed.  I teased him about him being the hoodoo man.  Since he memorized lyrics, I thought I would read to you the final verse of that song:

Somebody done cooked up some stuff in a pot,
Not too cold and not to hot
They dropped a few drops in Joe’s beef stew
Now he’s blowing his top, he don’t know what to do They don’t know who did it
They can’t find out
But he’s done hoodoo’d his last hoodoo without a doubt Somebody done hoodoo’d
Done hoodoo’d the hoodoo man.

James was a giant when it came to living life to the fullest but he was also a giant when it came to living that life with integrity.  James reminded us of the best in people.  Now, he had his moments and he experienced difficult times like the rest of us.  But in our crazy, convoluted society, where it seems that doing the right thing doesn’t seem to matter as much anymore, James Reed exhibited honesty and virtue and goodness…except in fantasy baseball. 

James loved people and wanted to see others succeed…except in fantasy baseball.  He believed in others and would go the extra mile over and over again.  He’s one of those rare people whose yes meant yes and his no meant no…except in fantasy baseball. 

One of my favorite James Reed stories was during his time as Minister of Education at a church in New Orleans.  In later years, Martha and I were members of that same church.

James told of a member (whose name I will not disclose) who continued to badger him about the number of years she had attended Sunday School without missing a Sunday…perfect attendance for all those years!  Well, he had finally had enough of it and told her to just go to the Baptist Book Store on campus and buy herself an award…which she did…which he later presented to her in church.  Vintage James Reed.  He loved people…even the strange ones. 

James lived life to the fullest and he lived life with integrity but he was also a giant when it came to education.  He could find a teachable moment in anything.  He was a master educator inside and out of the classroom.  When he and Jane moved to Senatobia, MS and he took over as chair of the Social Science division and was back in the classroom, it was like seeing a kid in a candy store.

He taught philosophy, ethics, Old and New Testament and had a gleam in his eye as he connected with the students.  He was particularly intrigued by the challenge of teaching the many football players who took his classes.

He was the rare instructor who welcomed students into his office to continue classroom conversations outside the classroom. 

A big part of this was that he was a deeply spiritual person, a spiritual giant, if you will.  He didn’t push his faith on others but he wanted others to experience the deep presence of God in their lives.  He really cared about the students and their faith journeys.  How refreshing it was to see someone spend time with students not out of obligation but out of a sincere desire for their well-being.

I would have to say the strangest assignment turned in to him in one of his Old Testament classes is when a student chose to construct the temple out of Rice Krispie treats.  He showed me the picture as we laughed.  I bet that student received an “A”.

James was most definitely a people person.  It goes back to his love for people and his desire to see everyone succeed.  He would talk with you till the cows came home if he thought that your walk with God and your station in life would be strengthened, even just a little.

He wanted people to learn even as he was a lifelong learner.  That being said, James was one of the smartest and most intuitive people I’ve ever known.

Now please believe me.  James Reed was not an all work and no play kind of person.  He certainly knew how to have a good time.  Let the good times roll, he would say.  And there would be no better place for a good time in his world than when it had something to do with baseball.  Most in the baseball world might not have known it, but he was a giant in baseball.

James loved baseball.  He was a big Cardinals fan.  He liked the Mets too but the Cardinals was his team…hence, the cardinal colored tie today…though it could also stand for Crimson, I suppose.  He loved everything about baseball…from watching batting practice to the 7^th inning stretch with a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballpark” to a hotdog and a coke at the game.  He loved the major leagues, the minor leagues, little league, pee wee league, and every kind of baseball in between.

He loved baseball movies and baseball books.  He loved baseball cards and baseball caps and baseball shirts and baseball salt and pepper shakers, well, you get the drift. 

He loved going to games.  Some of you may have travelled with him on some of his baseball trips…God bless you.  Before all the new ballparks were constructed, he visited every park in the United States.  That’s a real baseball fan.

He and I made a trip to a church conference in Grapevine, TX years ago.  I think the only reason he went was that he knew I had never been on one of these baseball trips with him and he had already planned that we would go to baseball games along the way.  And we did.

We stopped in Shreveport, LA where we were among a handful to see the Shreveport Swamp Dragons.  He was so happy that not many people were there.  It gave us a better chance of catching a foul ball, which he did.

We made stops in Houston and Arlington as well…always getting to the ballpark early enough to watch batting practice and to stand behind the fence to catch a batting practice home run ball…which he did. 

If you’ve ever been on one of his trips, you will know that he refused to buy tickets in advance.  No, that would be too easy.  I would say, JR, what if it’s a sellout.  Didn’t matter.  He would find some desperate uninformed unsuspecting soul frantically waving a couple of tickets in the air.  And the bartering would begin.

It’s during some of those times that I would slowly step away and let him perform his magic.  Sure enough, he would get the tickets but never at the price the person was asking.

James Byrd is another grasshopper who is here today.  Byrd didn’t even know what I was going to be talking today and he told me this story yesterday:  “Chuckie, when JR and I were on staff at Northside Baptist church in Clinton, we went to an Alabama/Ole Miss game in Jackson.  When we got there, I started to go to the ticket booth but JR said, I’m not going there.  And I said, but what if it’s a sellout.  And he said, I’m not going there.  So I went and bought my ticket and we met inside the gate.  I had paid full price for my ticket and was sitting on the 10 yard line.  He had made 50 bucks in the deal and was sitting on the 40.”

I am supposing that he must have bought more than one ticket and then sold the others and made money.  That was James Reed.

Now, you need to know, it didn’t matter how bad the tickets were or where our seats were in the stadium, because we would not end up sitting in those seats.  The moment we found the seats as printed on the tickets, James was scoping out empty seats that were better seats.  When I would get comfortable in my seat with hotdog in hand around the 3^rd inning, he would say, “Come on.  Let’s go sit down there.”

I’m a by the book person.  I’m a “this is the seat on my ticket person.”  He said, “If the people with those tickets aren’t here by now, they’re not coming.  Let’s go.”  I would reluctantly follow him, looking over my shoulder for the ticket police as we moved down.  James Reed is the only person I know who could pay $5 for a $20 ticket and sit in a $40 seat.

One of James’ favorite expressions was “what a deal.”  It may depend on context as to what he meant.  If he paid $5 for a baseball ticket and sat in a $40 seat, that would earn a “what a deal” label.  He may have been referring to one of his many trades in fantasy baseball where he absolutely ripped off the other owner.  “What a deal.” 

Or it could have been a hand he was dealt in a card game.  James loved to play cards.  Hearts was a favorite of his, probably because it was a harder game for others to learn.  As far as he was concerned, any dispute, any argument could be resolved over a card game.  You didn’t have to play against him too many times to learn that time honored reply to his request…and that would be no.

He would ask, “Let’s put two of our best baseball players on the table and winner take all.”  No

“What about putting our draft picks on the table and the winner takes the higher draft pick.”  No

Well, what about?  No

If you ever said yes to one of these requests, at the end of the game, you were bound to hear him say, “What a deal.” 

Jane, there is another grasshopper with us today, Christian Byrd, James Byrd’s son.  Christian and I had made an executive decision that we were going to give you the travelling trophy for our league, but I told Christian, “Jane Reed is not going to have that trophy displayed in her house from now on.”  So, we decided to do the next best thing.  We have removed the front plate from the trophy and we present it to you today.  (Christian gives the brass plate to Jane.)

When you want to be reminded of the thousands of hours that James pored over baseball statistics in his special room or the thousands of minutes he spent talking to us on the phone…I cannot imagine your phone bill before long distance was free…all you need to do is look at the plate.  Of course, if you don’t want to think about it, you can turn it to the other side where it is blank.

Christian and I are going to replace the plate on the trophy with a new one with a change in the name of the league to the “James E. Reed Boxscore Baseball League.”  What a deal!

James Reed was a giant at living life to the fullest, in living that life with integrity, in educating others, and in having a good time.

But last and certainly not least, James Reed was a giant when it came to the love for his family.  I considered him as a father figure and sometimes as a big brother.  He was like a big brother to me as he bullied me in fantasy baseball but like a father figure in everything else. 

Jane, David, Amanda…you already know this but everything he did ultimately came back to family.  I cannot count the number of times when he would tell me he was at a ballgame or an event or eating ice cream or any number of activities with his children and especially with his dear, dear grandchildren.  He wanted the very best for you and nothing less would satisfy.  He loved you more than anything else in this world.

All of who he was…living life to the fullest, honesty, goodness, integrity, putting people first, even his love of music and baseball and playing cards…all of it was for you.  And for you grandchildren especially…please hear me.  If you don’t hear anything else I say, please hear this.  He always wanted you to see that it’s possible to have a good time, to enjoy life, without having to give up your values and your walk with God.

And so, friends and family, what are we to take from this giant among us?  What does the life and legacy of James Reed leave with us?  What stays with us today as we are still sitting at the table?

• Well, obviously, don’t count your money
• Live every day to the fullest
• Be honest…let your yes be yes and your no be no
• Just be good and do the right thing
• Put others first
• Hug your loved ones and hug them again
• Enjoy life and all that comes your way, but don’t sacrifice your spiritual walk in the process
• And last but not least, find a baseball game…it’s not too hard…they’re everywhere…and go and buy one of those expensive hot dogs and enjoy

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Oh Brother Reed…Heaven is a brighter place today because a giant of a man is wheeling and dealing like never before.  We, the grasshoppers, know that heaven is much greater than you would have imagined in your wildest dreams. 

And that’s why we know that you’re singing:

So put me on a highway and show me a sign…because I’m taking it to the limit one more time.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

Obituary for James Reed

https://www.gloverfuneral.com/memorials/james-reed/4092773/