Alona Maria Reed

Alona Maria “LixieJane” Reed, 53, of Maryland, died on Sunday, February 5, 2023 surrounded by her children.

Alona was born on April 30, 1969 in Illinois to the late Robert and Lucy (Tweed) Reed. Although she was employed by the federal government for 20 years (March 2023), her greatest passion was being the owner of BlackAndCamping. LixieJane founded BlackAndCamping to support the black camping community through encouraging more black people to enjoy nature by providing safe, diverse, and one-of-a-kind camping experiences."If I can get you out the door and into the woods with comfort, you might want to come back out again."

She was a talented organizer who provided camping resources and arranged trips for the African American Community. Alona was a member of Blacks in Government and Goombay Adventurers & Goombay Sports. She was also an honor student at Morgan State University, where she studied history. In her spare time she enjoyed traveling, being active, and she treasured time spent with her grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, Alona is preceded in death by a sister Marquita Lee. Left to cherish her memory are daughters, Aarimis Reed of Atlanta, Aaries (Kevin) Coleman of Maryland, AaGuslee Greer of Pennsylvania; sons, Aaris Reed of Illinois, and Gus Greer, Jr. of D.C. as well as brothers, Cameron (​​Tierney) Reed of Iowa, Vernon Reed of Illinois, Brian (Johnel) Reed of Illinois; sisters, Devena Horton of Michigan, Bethina (Terry) Garrard of Iowa, Toni Reed of Iowa, LuWanna Reed of Illinois, and Nakita Reed of Iowa; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and other relatives. She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren Najilah Nichols, Amiya Reed, Aaris Reed, Serenity Casseus, Dwight Casseus, Symphony Reed, and Aadyn Reed.

Her children will have a private service per Alona’s wishes. A celebration of life ceremony will be announced at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations to help cover unexpected costs are appreciated. Donations can be sent to her daughter Aaries via Cash App: $AariesReed or Zelle: aaries.reed@gmail.com