James Reeder and Margaret Davis Reeder, inseparable pair

James Reeder and Margaret Davis Reeder, an inseparable Philadelphia couple whose love story inspired those who knew them, died within four days of each other at the Meadow View Nursing & Respiratory Care Center in Williamstown.

Mr. Reeder, 85, a retired chemist, died Thursday, Nov. 25, of complications from colon cancer; Mrs. Reeder, 83, a retired school nurse, died Sunday, Nov. 28, of dementia and congestive heart failure.

From the time they met as neighborhood children in their native Charlotte, N.C., the two were rarely apart.

"They were childhood friends, college sweethearts, soul mates in matrimony," said their son, James Jr. "They spent virtually all their lives together. They just had an uncanny love for one another."

Both graduated from West Charlotte High School, their son said. Mr. Reeder earned a chemistry degree from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte in 1949; Mrs. Reeder earned a nursing degree from Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing in Durham, N.C., in 1950, the year they married.

With those in hand, the couple moved to Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek section. He became a chemist, doing quality-control work for 30 years at the Defense Supply Agency in Philadelphia.

She earned advanced nursing degrees from St. Joseph's College, West Chester State College, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, then became a school nurse at the High School for Performing Arts and at Bishop Neumann High School.

The two retired in the mid-1980s to Washington Square's Hopkinson House, where they stayed until mid-November. They celebrated their 60th anniversary July 24, although ill health precluded a party.

Their son said he had never heard his parents argue.

"If there were any disagreements, it was always done privately, not in front of the children," he said. He credited the hard times in which the two grew up for instilling the "character, faithfulness, and trust in God" that formed the bedrock of their marriage.

When Mrs. Reeder fell ill six years ago, Mr. Reeder cared for her. He cooked, cleaned, and gave medication "without ever asking why or complaining," their son said.

"We're going to miss them, but it's a love story that has shown me what true love is all about, and it's something I'll never forget - how they cared for each other," he said.

In addition to their son, the Reeders are survived by daughters Michele Grant, Jacqueline Reeder, and Janise Mitchell; and eight grandchildren.

A viewing from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 3, will be followed by a funeral service at New Spirit Community Presbyterian Church, 5736 Chester Ave., where the Reeders were active members. They will be buried at Washington Crossing National Cemetery; Mr. Reeder served in the Army in World War II and was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1946.

Memorial donations may be made to Cornerstone Christian Academy, Box 5520, Philadelphia 19143.