Cleland Reid, 1918-2008

Cle Reid passed away suddenly Monday, June 2. He was a longtime Santa Barbara resident and will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

Born June 19, 1918, Cle was raised in Arlington, Virginia, but found himself at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He served as a naval Chief Petty Officer in the South Pacific during World War II and was stationed in California at the end of the war. He married his first wife, Virginia, in San Diego and for a number of years they lived in Gilroy, where he was a partner in a refrigeration company. The couple moved to Santa Barbara in 1951.

Cle worked at Ott’s for many years, heading several departments before becoming Assistant General Manager. He spent several years of semi-retirement working at The White House clothiers on State Street before devoting more time to his interest in RV travel. He was pre-deceased by Virginia in 1991.

A dozen years ago, it was RV-ing that brought him together with his current wife, Patricia, who survives him. Cle also leaves a sister, Peggy Brown, of San Pablo; a son, Mike; granddaughters Gina and Karla; niece Clyde Osterhaus Thayer of Santa Barbara; and numerous other relatives. A memorial gathering will be held at the San Vicente Club House, 340 Old Mill Road, at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 8.