Jason Reed Has Entered the Portals of Heaven

On June 15, 2006 at 7:15PM CDT, Jason Donovan Reed breathed his last after a 20-month battle with a rare form of cancer. He died at the young age of 32 at UMC Hospital. Visitation will be tomorrow at Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home on High Street in Jackson from 4 to 7PM. Visitation will also be on Monday at 11:30AM at Southside Assembly of God in Jackson and the funeral service at 1PM in that church that he so passionately loved.

There are very few fine Christians I have known. Most of them give you talk and talk but never walk the walk. Jason was one of those who did walk the walk. I worked with him for four years. I got to know him. He lived the Christ-filled life to the best he could. He nearly died on May 13th--the day he was supposed to get married. His fiancee' had already bought her wedding dress before the cancer took a toll on Jason. He survived for another thirty-three days.

Jason was a big, burly guy with an infectious smile and a big laugh. We used to think of ways to joke around during tax season. He loved to make real strong coffee in the late evening. I always thought he was part Cajun because he made it so strong. We would greet each other with the upended "Peace sign" of both hands. It was a big laugh.

One time, back in February 2002 on a Saturday, Jason told me in the middle of the afternoon that "Girls Gone Wild" would be performing that night at The Dock (a popular watering hole). I asked him what that was all about. He said sex-crazed women performed for the cameras wearing skimpy outfits and doing provocative things. He said some of them are drunker than a skunk and throw their tops at guys. The girls could be anyone from anywhere--even in the audience. I asked him what time this Bacchanalian Bash began. He said it started at 10PM, but we had to be there around 7PM if we were to get in. After that time, it would be impossible to get in.

So I said, "Now let me get this straight. We could play hooky from work (We were to stay until 8 or 8:30PM.) and work on really complicated, boring tax returns OR we can go to The Dock and watch sex-crazed women dance on the counter and fling their tops at us. Is that our choice?" Jason replied, "Yeah, it really is tough to decide." We stroked our chins and thought. Then Jason asked, "Do you know a lot about the Alternative Minimum Tax?" I replied, "I know quite a bit about it. But the return will take us quite a while." Jason replied, "Whoops. There goes 'Girls Gone Wild.' They lost to the AMT."

There were really very few outstanding Christians I have ever worked with. I can literally count them on my right hand. Jason was one of those very few. I bitterly regret I never had a chance to talk to him in his last days. I would've loved to joke with him and talk about those days that we worked together. Someday, when we are in Heaven together, I will talk with him and relive those days. But for now, I will mourn his passing. He was a true giant among Christians.