We celebrate the long and beautiful life of Merva Dolores (Kenney) Reed, who passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Care One at Holmdel in Holmdel, New Jersey. She was 93 years old.  Merva's journey began on November 4, 1932, in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, NY, born to James and Margaret Hilda (Smith) Kenney. Raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, she graduated from Franklin K. Lane High School in 1950.

In 1951, she embraced motherhood with the birth of her firstborn son, Glenn Anthony Kenney. A woman of immense talent, Merva initially shared her vibrant energy with the world as a professional dancer and model. In 1955, she brought her eye for style to Abraham & Strauss in downtown Brooklyn. Dedicated and ambitious, she spent 39 years with the company, thriving as a buyer and department manager until her retirement in 1994.

Music, singing, and dancing were the threads that wove through her entire life, bringing her immense happiness and reflecting her inherent grace.

Her legacy of love lives on through her son, Brian J. Reed, daughter-in-law, Yolanda Perez-Reed, and her adored granddaughters, Brianne T. Reed, Haley A. Reed, and Taja N. Kenney (Glenn's daughter).

Merva was reunited in eternity with her parents, her son Glenn, and her eight siblings—four sisters (Juanita, Yvonne, Ruth, and Mildred) and four brothers (James, Harold, John, and Fredrick).

Merva will be deeply missed, but her life and legacy will continue through the family she loved so dearly and the generations who carry her memory forward.

May she rest peacefully and forever be remembered with love.

Family and friends are invited to gather for a committal service at 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 , at the Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum Mausoleum, 2030 Wellwood Ave., Farmingdale, NY 11735 , where she will be placed in her final resting place.

Merva's family has kindly requested that no flowers be sent in her memory.