Joey Reed ‘touched the lives of hundreds.’ Boat crash kills Kentucky dad, fisherman
An Eastern Kentucky boat crash killed a man who was well known and cherished as a UPS driver who “touched a lot of hearts,” according to a close friend.
Joseph Lee Reed, 43, of Mount Sterling, died on June 26 after he was on a jet ski and crashed with a boat on Cave Run Lake, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. His girlfriend lost her “sweet country boy,” five children lost their father and fellow nature enthusiasts lost a close friend.
“I don’t think Joey ever had anyone that disliked him,” said Michael Barron, a project manager and 22-year friend of Reed.
Barron and Reed met in 1999 after Barron moved to the Jeffersonville area from West Virginia. Reed was the UPS driver who delivered to Barron’s father’s house.
One day, Reed noticed Barron’s boat and stopped to talk to him. The two suddenly had something to bond over: muskie fishing.
“It was like a moth to a flame,” Barron told the Herald-Leader. The two started fishing together and through two decades of friendship, it was the thing they did most often.
“If me and Joey were together, we were fishing somewhere,” Barron said.
Reed loved “anything that involves nature,” including fishing, hunting, boating, traveling and grilling, according to his obituary. The Montgomery County High School graduate also loved meeting so many people as a UPS driver.
“Joey never met a stranger; everyone he met was a friend. In his 24 years working at UPS, Joey touched the lives of hundreds if not thousands of others,” his obituary said. “He greeted every customer with his trademark smile and a genuine ‘how’s it going?’”
Reed was honored after his death on the Facebook page “UPS Dogs.”
“He loved the dogs on his route, and everyone loved him,” UPS Dogs said in a post.
Eastern Kentucky father of five was ‘the sweetest’
Reed’s children ranged in age from 7 to 18, according to his obituary. He was also a mentor to his girlfriend’s four children.
“He found a way to be thankful for everything” and took adversity well, Barron said. For example, Reed’s house on Spruce Valley Lane south of Jeffersonville once burned down, and he was forced to rebuild, Barron said. But Reed stayed in the same Montgomery County area where he’d lived all his life.
“He always made a positive out of something,” Barron said.
Reed’s significant other, Jenifer Roberts Steger, said in a Facebook post that Reed was “indestructible.”
“You were my protector and the only way I would be able to survive an apocalypse,” she said on Wednesday. “The grill master, king of ridiculous dad jokes, the guy who could fix anything…especially a bad day.”
Steger posted again on Thursday to say she couldn’t believe the “enormous amount of support and love” she had received from so many people. Friends and loved ones showered support on Reed’s Facebook page after he died.
“You were the sweetest, funniest, friendliest, hardworking young man I’ve ever known,” Denise Sorrell Craycraft said in a post. “Honestly, there really isn’t enough words to explain the kind of guy you were.”
Chelsea Hunt Beane said she had a beer for Reed after his visitation Thursday.
“Still doesn’t seem real that you are gone,” she said. “The angels got a good one.”
Crash involved high speeds on busy day at Cave Run Lake
Reed was taken to St. Claire Regional Medical Center on June 26 after his jet ski collided with a cuddy cabin boat near the Zilpo Flats on Cave Run Lake, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The crash happened just before 7 p.m. and Reed died at the hospital, according to Kevin Kelly, a spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“According to witnesses, both vessels were traveling at high speed” when the collision happened, Kelly said.
There were two people in the boat, Kelly said. One was taken to a hospital with “injuries beyond first aid,” he said.
Barron said he heard it was “a very crowded day” on the lake. He found out about Reed’s death later that night.
Reed was survived by his mother and brother in addition to his children and Steger, according to his obituary. His funeral was scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, according to his obituary.
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 1:53 PM.