Leona L. Reid
REID, LEONA LUCY (née Barclay)
Slipped away quietly in her sleep at home on April 23, 2026. Her final years reflected the gentle, gradual decline that comes with advanced age; she did not leave because of any disease or illness. Fortunately, she experienced no pain or discomfort and lived comfortably into her 98th year.
Devoted wife of Melville Reid, who predeceased her in 2013, she was the beloved mother of Raymond (Gretchen d. 2024), Richard (Eleane), and Marlene Collins (Derwin).
Leona was the loving and cherished grandmother of Darren (Rhona), Andrea, Shawn d.2021, Sarah (John), Nathan (Cari), Justin, Evan (Allison), Emily (Heath), and Marianne (Nathan), Magda, and Vanessa and the proud great-grandmother of seventeen.
Born on a mixed farm near Ariss to Gilbert and Lucy Barclay, she was the sister of Barbara Reid (George) and remained close to her brothers and sisters-in-law throughout her life. Her extended family included many nieces and nephews, most of whom kept in regular touch with her.
The eldest of two girls, she was drawn early to the work of the barn and the fields, where she found both purpose and belonging. She was as comfortable driving a team of horses, turning hay with a dump rake, as she was behind the wheel of a tractor. Many hours were spent on her knees in the turnip fields, separating doubles and attending to the steady, necessary barn chores that come with caring for livestock.
When she was 17, her mother, who often took in boarders to earn a little pin money, welcomed Melville Reid into their home, a farm boy eight years her senior who had come to Guelph in hopes of becoming a carpenter. Though he had little experience, he was eager to make good. It was not long before she came to admire his straightforward nature, his integrity, and his steady, hardworking character. They soon fell hopelessly in love and, a year later, were married, beginning an adventure that would see them celebrate their 66th anniversary together.
At 18, she began her married life in a small upstairs flat at 30 London Road, soon welcoming a baby into her arms. With hard work and careful scrimping, she and our father built a modest two-bedroom house at 24 Summit Crescent, where we lived next door to our aunt and uncle throughout the 1950s. Shaped by the frugality of the Depression years, she drew on a simple, enduring recipes from that era. Though means were limited, she managed the household with care and good judgment and gave us a full and happy life, rich in love and contentment, and never lacking in what truly mattered.
Our mother cherished the open fields, as did our father, and in 1961 they moved to Puslinch Township, where she would spend the rest of her days in the home he built for her. There, while our father worked off the farm in the early years, she took charge of the mink ranch, managing it largely on her own. She had a natural gift for organization and hard work, keeping the books, overseeing the operation, and working alongside the small crew in all seasons. At pelting time, she could gather and direct a crew of eighteen women with quiet efficiency. Whether in rubber boots vaccinating the kits or in the kitchen preparing a scrumptious Sunday dinner for company, she was equally at ease. She worked long hours, in cold and heat alike, and continued with that same steady dedication until the age of 80.
In the last 25 years of their lives, my parents enjoyed their Airstream trailer, spending a month each winter in Crystal River, Florida before the busy breeding season began in March. My mother was never hesitant around machinery and was a confident driver, handling the arduous journey herself, guiding the long trailer through major American cities with ease, while our father contentedly took in the passing farm fields. They shared many happy weeks with friends, a well-earned time of rest and companionship.
Our mother, together with our father, was grounded in a shared and abiding Christian faith from which she never wavered. She lived it quietly and faithfully, often expressing it through simple acts of kindness—serving Sunday dinner to company almost weekly, delivering home baking, flowers, or a meal to ailing neighbours or friends without drawing attention to herself. Her faith was steady and unassuming, and she came to the end of her life at peace, content in her relationship with God.
We will miss her wisdom and presence, but it’s hard to see a full load of grain leaving a shorn field without feeling a sense of rejoicing!
A visitation will be held at WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 206 Norfolk St., Guelph, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. A funeral service will be held in the funeral home chapel on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 11:00 am. To watch the service remotely, please use this link. Burial will follow the service at Woodlawn Memorial Park. Arrangements entrusted to the WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL 519-822-0051 / www.wallcustance.com.
Condolences and notes can be made online at www.wallcustance.com
A tree will be planted in memory of Leona L. Reid in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest.