Passing of a Legend George Reed « Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum

REGINA, October 2, 2023 — With grateful hearts of having George & Angi Reed as lifetime
members of the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum (SACHM), we mourn the
passing, October 1 of our dear friend and humanitarian, George and offer Angi, Keith, Vicki,
Georgette and family our sincere condolences. George will be missed.
On September 13, 2014, SACHM had the honour of recognizing George as our first Lifetime
Achievement Award recipient. George will be remembered for his many accomplishments and
a bio can be found on SACHM website at www.sachm.org. There are some quotes we would
like to share from the book George wrote with author John Chaput. George Reed, His Life &
Times.
From the late sports columnist, Bob Hughes, a wonderful man who left us all too soon, wrote
the forward. He writes – “George was a man for all seasons and a man for all reasons... He
remains a legend, a figure bigger than life. He can’t go anywhere in this province without being
swarmed by people clamoring to get near him. Many of them never saw him play in person.
But, it doesn’t matter. He’s George Reed! And there is only one George Reed... Yes, it was his
football ability that made him a household name, but it was his burning desire to succeed at
anything he did that made him the man he became”.
Someone asked George – don’t you get tired of people coming up to you all the time. He said
no, he never tires of it. He remembers how he was treated by the fans & is just giving back
George has been involved in many charitable endeavors. And, of course his work with people
with disabilities is well known. John Chaput writes – “With his football fame, he chose not to
enrich himself but to devote his time and energy to bettering the condition of those who were
disadvantaged. He spoke of their plight, but his actions spoke louder”.
This Order of Canada and member of 7 Halls of Fame, George Reed was an amazing humble
man. In the book, an example of his humility, he said “Things got to a point that, in order to
avoid dipping into retirement funds, I was working a little part-time job that brought in a few
extra bucks. I stocked the shelves at the Real Canadian Superstore. Now, some people may
take that as a step down for someone who’s in the sports hall of fame and is a member of the
Order of Canada. I have never looked at it that way, because I have always been one to say that
sometimes you might have to do something that you might not like doing, but if you want to
continue making a living in an honest way, you do it.”
Thank you, George for your service. Godspeed!