MORRISVILLE, Pa. — Pastor Edwin (Ed) L. Reese, of Morrisville, PA, passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 17 at the age of 60. Reese served as the pastor of Hazelwood Baptist Church, in Baltimore, for many years. He was active in the Baltimore Baptist Association and served on the General Mission Board of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware.
Ed Reese and his wife, Jodi
Reese grew up in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Penn State University and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He also served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.
Most recently, Reese was a chaplain for Eleanor’s Garden Hospice in Philadelphia and the visitation pastor at First Baptist Church of Morrisville, Pennsylvania. In addition to his ministry at Hazelwood Baptist Church, Reese was the former youth pastor at both State College Evangelical Free Church, in Pennsylvania, and Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Fairmont, Minnesota.
Many Baltimore pastors shared their thoughts about Reese and his ministry on Facebook. Chuck Brooks, the former pastor of GraceWay Church, in Baltimore, said, “While I was a pastor in the SBC, I had difficulty connecting with other pastors. Ed was so warm and genuine and made me feel like I was valued. When we closed our church, Ed reached out to me and was very encouraging when I needed a shoulder to cry on.” He also wrote that Reese was “…a humble and warm brother in the Lord.”
Friends knew Reese as a huge history buff, and he often used unusual historical facts, especially about the American Revolution, in his sermons.
He was an avid reader and enjoyed sports, especially basketball. As an animal lover, one of his favorite shows was “Animal Planet.” Most of all, Reese loved spending time with his family and friends.
In 2016, Reese authored “The Comfort of Heaven or Death: Life’s Greatest Adventure.” In that book, he wrote, “Remember, the comfort of heaven for believers is that death, while an ending in many senses from our limited points of view, is also life’s greatest adventure from God’s point of view, as we look forward to our new heavenly bodies in our new heavenly home.”
He was the son of the late Franklin Reese and was blessed with two loving mothers. After the unforeseen death of Ed’s first mother, Donna Rae, Franklin married Reese’s second mother, the former Kay Price, who lives in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania.
Reese is survived by his loving wife, Jodi (Marchincin) of Fieldsboro New Jersey; his children, Brynn and Kyler; his mother, Kay Reese; his brothers, Dan Reese and his wife, Andi, Dave Reese and his wife, Michelle, and Tom Reese; his sisters, Laurie Aquilino and her husband, Armond, Christie Peel, and her husband, Doug, and many other extended family and friends.
The funeral will be at noon on Aug. 27, at First Baptist Church of Morrisville, 50 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Morrisville, PA 19067. Interment will follow at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Friends may call at the church for visitation from 10 a.m. until noon on Aug. 27. Instead of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Eleanor’s Garden Hospice, 10125 Verree Road, #202, Philadelphia, PA 19116.