Indiana Reed Obituary

Feb. 5, 1955 - June 17, 2021

Indiana Reed passed away on Thursday, June 17, at the hospice of Mercy Regional Medical Center due to complications following brain surgery in April. Known to all as Indi, she was born Karen Mardel Reed in Alhambra, California, the daughter of Dorothy and David Reed.

Ms. Reed had a long and prestigious career in marketing and communications. She moved to Durango in the early 1990s from Southern California where she had owned a public relations firm. A graduate of the University of Southern California (USC in Los Angeles) Indi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Journalism, and Public Relations in 1977.

Indiana Reed served the community as a professional communications consultant for Durango businesses including Peak Food & Beverage, LLC (Steamworks Brewing, El Moro Tavern, Bird's Rotisserie), La Plata Electric Association, the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, and the Durango Business Improvement District. A dedicated volunteer with Leadership La Plata, Reed taught and trained Durango's future leaders for more than 15 years.

Reed's calm, soothing voice was legendary at Four Corner's Broadcasting, where she was a popular on-air personality with a regular feature. She did voice-overs, commercials, and promotional work for the radio stations for many years.

Reed was a talented writer, published author, and frequent contributor to regional and local publications, including Durango Magazine, a long-standing, lifestyle and visitor information printed publication. Starting in the later 1990s, Reed's writing appears in nearly every edition of the bi-annual guide.

Even with a busy professional life, Reed was devoted to her home and her animal companions, including her beloved golden retriever Olivia, never missing daily walks or playtime. She also enjoyed working on her property in a mountainous neighborhood near Durango --remodeling, updating, landscaping, and gardening--living in her sanctuary in harmony with nature, including regular visits from a family of foxes.

A talented chef with a huge cookbook collection, Reed enjoyed hosting friends, her mother, neighbors, and her longstanding ladies' group to celebrate birthdays and special occasions. She was known in the neighborhood for baking healthy dog treats for Olivia and other area pets. She was a gardener, homemaker, interior decorator, and quilter with a keen interest in astrology and the afterlife. She was considering writing a children's book, "The Adventures of Miss Fox", yet to be published.

Indiana is survived by her mother Dorothy (Dottie) Reed of Durango, and her brother and his family Kevin Reed of

Tacoma, Washington, as well as many devoted clients, friends, and neighbors. She is preceded in death by her father David Reed. No services are planned as per her wishes. Memorial contributions to two of her favorite organizations, The One Hundred Club of Durango and the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, may be made in her name in lieu of flowers.