Ruth Steele Reed

Ruth Steele Reed passed away peacefully on Friday, May 19, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.  Ruth was the matriarch of the Steele family and served her family faithfully as a loving and devoted daughter, sister, wife and aunt.  She was a devout Catholic and leaves behind a legacy of deep faith and abiding love for family and friends.

Ruth was born on November 6, 1933, in Owensboro, to the late Vincent Joseph and Pauline Hagan Steele.  She was a graduate of Saint Frances Academy in Owensboro, attended Barat College of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, IL and the University of Grenoble in France. She was a graduate of St. Louis University. 

Ruth, a community and business leader, spent her career as treasurer of WVJS/WSTO, Cable and On the Air, Incorporated, founded by her father, VJ Steele, in 1947.

She was passionate about her community and spent many hours volunteering her time.  Her leadership roles included service on the boards of directors of the Owensboro Symphony, Junior Achievement, the Wendell Foster Center, and the former Owensboro-Daviess County Hospital.  She was a charter member of Leadership Owensboro and Impact 100 and a member of the Junior League of Owensboro and the former Hospital Guild, now The Women’s Guild. 

In 1998, she married the love of her life, Bogart “Bo” Scott Reed and they had fifteen beautiful years together.  Ruth loved being with her brothers and sisters, her nieces and nephews, and all the other members of her family. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bo; her brothers, Vincent Joseph Steele, Charles Carroll Steele, and Robert Hagan Steele; her sister, Pauline Steele; and her infant sister, Mary Anne Steele.  She is survived by her brother, Jack Steele; her sister, Sarah Edge; and her many nieces and nephews.

Visitation for Ruth will be from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 22 with prayers at 6:00 p.m., and from 9:00 until 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23 at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., at Immaculate Catholic Church.  The burial will be in Mater Dolorosa Cemetery.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to The Carmel Home, 2501 Old Hartford Road, Owensboro, KY  42303 or The Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery, 8564 Crisp Road, Whitesville, KY  42378.

Memories and messages of condolence for the family of Ruth Steele Reed may be shared at www.glenncares.com