Rosanne Reed

Rosanne Kemp Reed, 75, of Indianapolis and Kempton, Indiana, passed away peacefully on August 23, 2026, at Community North Hospital in Indianapolis, with her husband at her side.

For over two decades, Rosanne lived with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disease that slowly narrowed her world, first through worsening COPD, later through liver cirrhosis. She never let it define her. Rosanne founded Hoosier Alphas, an Indianapolis support group affiliated with the Alpha-1 Foundation, and led it for years, showing up for other families navigating the same rare diagnosis long before most people had ever heard the words "alpha-1." It was only the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic that finally kept her home.

Rosanne was born December 20, 1950, in Tipton, Indiana to Col. Joseph A. Kemp and Canadian-born Gloria Cressey Kemp of Kempton, Indiana. Kempton in Tipton County was named after her Kemp ancestors who donated much of the land on which the town was built. She was one of the first born in the Tipton hospital that opened in 1950.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Marvin Kemp. Surviving are three brothers Jay (Becky) Kemp of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Joe (Pearl) Kemp of Castaic, California, Karl (Susie) Kemp of Reelsville, Indiana; husband, Michael E. Reed, sons Jade Howard of Port Ste. Lucie, Florida, Paul LeRoy of Paris, France, Will (Andrea) Watson of Thomasville, North Carolina; step-sons Eli (Natalie) Reed of Cincinnati, Ohio, Chris (Tish) Reed and Kyle (Sierra) Reed of Carmel, Indiana, 13 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Grandchildren include Monty James, Cali Rose, Lydia Thomas, Gemma Watson, Rory Watson, Kai Watson, Caleb Reed, Aidan Reed, Scarlett Reed, Anaya Reed, Ari Reed, Kyla Reed, Evangeline June Hart. Great-grandchild is Lux Kyoko Rose.

Rosanne grew up as an army brat, daughter of a veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. She lived on US bases in Okinawa, France, Germany, and multiple bases in the US. She returned to Kempton regularly to stay with her grandmother, Charlotte (Lottie) Kemp, when her family could not join her father on assignments in Korea and Vietnam. Her high school years started in Kaiserslautern, Germany where she sang in a local teen club band and showed off her Motown dance moves with her brother, Marvin. She lived in Detroit in the early 1960’s.

She finished her high school years in Fort Riley, Kansas living in the officers’ circle that was once home of Generals George Custer and George Patton. In 1968 she graduated from Junction City High School and enrolled in Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. After a year at IU, Rosanne transferred to Bauder College in Miami, Florida to complete a merchandising degree.

Rosanne’s employment included wide variety from the Garden of the Gods Country Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to various jobs in Eagle Creek, Alaska, Huntington Beach, California, Phoenix, Arizona, and Montreal, Canada, returning to Indiana in 1986. She became Human Resources Manager for Exide Corporation in Frankfort, Indiana where she met her future husband of 33 years, Michael Reed, marrying at the Kemp Methodist Church in Tipton on December 5, 1992. The Reeds moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Rosanne became Director of Human Resources for the Grand Milwaukee Hotel. The Reeds moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil, Texas, and Connecticut with employment, then returned to Indiana to own and operate three Midas Auto Repair shops in Indianapolis and Lafayette. The Reeds sold their Midas shops and retired in 2024.

Rosanne was influenced by her cousin Gretchen Kemp, distinguished Indiana University journalism professor. Along her journey, Rosanne drafted articles for Protect Yourself, a consumer magazine in Montreal, Canada (as Rosanne LeRoy), and the Ozaukee County News Graphic and Inside Magazine in Cedarburg, Wisconsin (as Rosanne Reed).

Rosanne was a strong partner and maintained many lifelong friendships. She was an adventurer, a spiritual believer with a pure heart, a dreamer and devoted lover of people, a born negotiator.

Visitation and a Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, September 19 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Kemp United Methodist Church, 228 N. Main Street, Tipton, Indiana, 46072. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Kemp United Methodist Church would be appreciated.

Young-Nichols Funeral Home is honored to assist the Reed family at this time. Online condolences for the family may be left on Rosanne’s obituary page at www.young-nichols.com.