Chester L. Reid

Chester L. Reid, 80, of St. Joseph, went to be with His Lord and Savior with his family members by his side, on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at Saron Evangelical Lutheran Church, 510 Main Street, St. Joseph, Michigan with Pastor Joan Olsen officiating. Internment will be held in Parkview Cemetery in Peoria, Illinois at a later date. Friends may call on Monday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI. In Lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Saron Lutheran Church or Lakeland Regional Medical Center c/o Patient Care. Those wishing to send the family condolences or sign the guestbook may do so on-line at www.starks-menchinger.com. Chester Reid Jr. was born on October 20, 1928 to Pearl and Chester Reid in Bartonville, Illinois. He married his wife, Barbara (Lonsdale) on February 18, 1950 in Peoria, Illinois. He graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and worked for R.G. LeTourneau. He served 9 years in the Naval Reserve. Chet came to Benton Harbor, MI in 1959 working for Clark Equipment and retired as head of International Engineering in 1986. He was a consultant with Eaton Company in Kalamazoo until 1989 then joined Ausco Products Company as a sales engineer, retiring in 1996. He was a lifetime member of Society of Automotive Engineers (S.A.E.). He was active in development of International Technical Standards. He was active in the Saron Lutheran Church Council and Golden Hammers. Chet is survived by his wife, Barbara; a son Jim (Lonna) Reid, daughters Judy (Mark) Wedde, and Rebecca (Rick) Dernberger; grandsons, Josh, Andy, and Marko; granddaughters, Brittany, Courtney, Richelle and Makayla Dernberger; one great grandson, Dylan Wedde; 5 nieces and 2 nephews. Preceding him in death were his parents and a sister, Iverne Harkless.