Taylor, A. Reed

07/17/2025

Age 90, of Williamsville, New York. A native of Washburn, WI, Reed spent his youth in Wisconsin before attending Yale University, graduating in 1957. At Yale, he studied English and was a member of the Yale Glee Club, the Baker’s Dozen, and the Spade and Grave senior society. Reed went on to earn a Doctorate in American Studies at Emory University in 1976.

After college, Reed embarked on experiences that would shape his future as an educator dedicated to a life of service. He taught at the prestigious ʻIolani School in Honolulu in the early 1960s, forming bonds with students that carried through his lifetime. He travelled to Sierra Leone in 1969, leading a group of students building a hospital in the Operation Crossroads Africa program.

While in Atlanta, Reed met and married Glynda Stephens in 1970, and they moved to Buffalo where Reed embarked on a distinguished 36-year teaching career. He spent the majority of his career at Amherst Public Schools in Amherst, NY, and was honored as New York State Regional Teacher of the Year in 1987. He continued his teaching at the Nichols School in Buffalo before retirement.

Reed was President of the International Association of Torch Clubs in the 1990s and served as an active member of the Buffalo Torch Club for 41 years, including as President and Treasurer. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church for 55 years, serving as Elder, Clerk of Session, choir member, and numerous other lay leadership roles. He was a founding member of the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo in 1983, where he taught its first distance learning course. He served as a board member of the Academy for Human Rights, which in 2018 established the Reed Taylor Award for Excellence in Human Rights Education in his honor. Reed was a decades-long member of Amherst South Rotary Club, and his volunteer service included tutoring refugee children as part of Westminster’s ENERGY Program, and counseling ex-prisoners in the Re-Entry Friends program.

Reed was predeceased by his beloved wife, Glynda Stephens Taylor. He is survived by two daughters, Amy Nathan of Cincinnati, OH and Suzanne (John) Bourdeaux of Hartford, CT, and grandchildren Christopher and Alexandra Nathan, and Jack and Rose Bourdeaux.

A visitation will be held on Friday August 1, 2025 from 3-7 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Home Inc. 2480 Kensington Ave. Amherst, NY 14226. A memorial service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 724 Delaware Avenue, on Saturday, August 2 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions would be gratefully accepted in Reed’s memory by the Academy for Human Rights in Hamburg, NY or by Westminster Presbyterian Church. Online condolences may be placed at www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com