ARDEN VIRGINIA REED June 25, 1959 – April 9, 2021

Arden Reed, loving daughter, sister, and friend passed away at age 61 of cancer. Arden was a devoted Christian for nearly four decades. Christ was the pinnacle of her life and she lived her life honoring and sharing his Word.

Arden was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and was the daughter of the late James Thurston Reed and survived by Pansy (Pat) Lee Reed. She was the sister to Mark Reed (wife Cindy, children Haley Stoneberger (husband John) and Jason Reed (wife LeAnne), David Reed (longtime girlfriend Angela Vellines), children Samantha Bond (husband Carl) and great nephew Lucas and Joshua Reed (wife Akele), and sister Rebecca (Becky) Lawson (husband Larry) and nieces Faith and Kindal. She was close to her cousins who reside in North Carolina, Jennie and Adam van der Helm (children Marcus and Jen), Nancy Parrish and Lori Edwards.

Arden attended Tidewater Community College in the early '70s but after twenty years she earned her diploma from Regent University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication, magma cum laude.

Arden was a member of Liberty Baptist Church for more than 10 years where she served with student ministry as a small group leader for middle school girls. She helped to launch both the Harbourview and Smithfield campuses. She was also intensely involved in off campus Bible Studies. Additionally, she was an advocate in her community, having served on the board of the Eagle Harbor/Bridgewater HOA for many years. Arden had an adventurous spirit and was always up for trying something new. In her 30s and 40s she skydived, snorkeled, and parasailed. Arden had a passion for helping those in need and a desire to share the love of Christ with others. Everything she did was with a loving heart and helping hands. In her early career she worked in food sales for Monarch and Sysco. After committing her life to Christ in 1995, she worked for several Christian ministries such as Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry for the persecuted church; the Christian Broadcasting Network, a global ministry preparing the world for the coming of Jesus Christ; and Samaritans Purse, an international organization that aids the world's poor, sick, and suffering. Her last position was with Virginia Supportive Housing, the statewide nonprofit that develops and provides affordable permanent supportive housing for homeless single adults.

While working in Christian ministry, Arden traveled the globe in her pursuit to share the love of Jesus Christ. She traveled to Singapore, Vietnam, Egypt, and Africa often risking her life for her religious beliefs. When traveling to Vietnam, she smuggled $100,000 in her bra and bibles in her suitcase. She even traveled to Egypt when an uprising broke out and she hid in the basement of a church for several days with little food and water before she was smuggled out to the airport to freedom. Her devotion to Jesus was unwavering, to say the least.

Arden was a devoted friend to so many people. She had the ability to make every person feel special. This garnered her literally dozens of friends. While she was battling cancer, she received hundreds of cards, gifts, and flowers from those that loved her. The message that was continually conveyed was that she was such a bright light in their lives and they enjoyed spending time with her.

The family would like to thank the many people who brought food and provided comfort to her and us during this difficult period.

Anyone that knew Arden knew her passion for cats. As a child she was always bringing home stray cats to save. She carried that into adulthood and supported the local humane society as well as a feral cat rescue. In lieu of flowers, Arden would like donations be made to the FURR Foundation (http://www.furrfoundation.com).  And lastly, Arden's favorite flower is the gardenia. As we enter spring, we invite you to purchase a gardenia and plant it in your flower garden. When it blooms and you smell its sweet scent, think of your favorite memory of her.

There will be a memorial service for Arden at 11 AM Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at Liberty Baptist Church, Hampton with Pastor Joe Hunt officiating.