Andrew Davis Reid

Andrew Davis Reid passed away peacefully at the Collier Hospice Center on May 2, 2026 at the age of 78. He was born in York, Maine to Ralph and Vivien (Davis) Reid.

His mother once described him as a “smiley baby,” because he always seemed so happy and easy to please. That description seemed fitting throughout his life as he took great pleasure in nearly everything he saw or experienced.

A graduate of Fredericktown High School (Ohio) in 1965, he attended Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH to study mathematics. He graduated in 1969 and joined Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) where he helped build water systems and housing projects for low-income families in rural Missouri.

Andy always said his time with VISTA, along with his father’s guidance and ethics, helped solidify his belief in putting community first. Helping others and working towards a better world were his life’s purpose.

After leading several non-profit organizations focused on affordable housing (Pike County Outreach Council and the Southern Ohio Housing Organization, both in Waverly, Ohio), he moved west to operate the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium. There he worked with other non-profits to improve housing conditions and affordability. Eventually he found his way to Colorado where he became an Assistant Dean at the University of Colorado, Denver.

While in Spokane, he met and married Elizabeth (Betsy) Jacobsen, with whom he spent the next 30 years traveling, riding bikes, running marathons and enjoying life. One of his favorite cities was Paris, and it was not uncommon for him to be finagling a way to “pass through” on their way to somewhere else.

In addition to his active lifestyle, Andy had many interests including baseball, trains and photography. At his passing, he had catalogued more than 5,000 photos he had taken of trains – some now depicting historical significance.

His lifelong love of music would sometimes drive his wife batty as he would recite blues lyrics to express a particular mood. He and his nephew Andrew could spend hours testing each other’s knowledge of songs and artists. They would do the same thing with baseball – remembering players and teams of the past, while always keeping up with current standings. But he also found great joy in simple things such as gardening or watching the birds from their back deck.

Among other things, Andy will be remembered for his gentleness, trust in others, sense of humor and love of blueberry pancakes. He’ll be forever missed.

Andy is pre-deceased by his parents and younger brother, Bruce. He is survived by his wife, Betsy; Sister-in-Law Kathy Reid; brother Norman (Betsy Knight); sister Martha Reid; nephews Andrew (Christa Peters) and Adam (Emily), as well as cousins throughout the U.S.

Andy did not want a service. He requested that his ashes be distributed at a location on the Oregon Trail (another one of his interests). In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Jacobsen-Reid Scholarship, Baldwin Wallace University, https://www.bw.edu/giving/, or to a housing non-profit of your choice.