Carole Reed
Obituary

Carole Mae Reed (Craft, Sauer) 83 of Orange, CA, and formally of Canton, Ohio, was born in Baltimore, MD on Oct. 17, 1942, to Pam and Charles Reed. She grew up in Canton, Ohio and graduated from Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio in 1961. In 1962, Carole married Fred Craft, together they welcomed two children: a daughter Denise, born Sept 15, 1963, and Duane, Dec 3, 1968. She was a member of Bethel Temple in Canton, Ohio.

In 1980, Carole and Fred divorced, and Carole made a fresh start in California. She became a member of South Coast Christian Assembly in San Juan Capistrano and remained in Orange County, where she would spend the rest of her life. In 1981 she purchased a Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio in Laguna Hills, CA and later acquired the Mission Viejo, CA Merle Norman’s Cosmetic Studio until she sold both of them.

It was those Merle Norman Studios that directed her life into the entertainment industry of Warner Bros etc. Because she resembled Elizabeth Taylor, many of her customers at the Studios would tell her that and tell her she should do personal appearances as "Liz Taylor", so she started to use her resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor to her advantage. Soon she had people following her around, talk shows wanted her to interview with them, and magazines doing whole stories on her. People Magazine followed her around for three days to make their story and she was also on the cover of Star Magazine, just to name a couple of them.

Before doing personal appearances as Liz Taylor, she lived in Canton, Ohio where she worked for Hoover as a data entry clerk and then later, she moved on to work for JC Penney's. While working in the cosmetic department for over fourteen years, she developed her skill to be able to sell you the shirt off of your back, which led her to high sales and good commission.

Later when she finally decided to give all that up and retire, dementia took hold of her and she was diagnosed in 2010 with this horrible disease. As her care giver, Denise witnessed firsthand how this disease changed her on a daily basis. Our mom, as we knew her, was no longer that person to us anymore. In 2022, she had to have a hip replacement that reduced her mobility and she became an amputee because of a circulation problem in her foot, that experience in July 2026. She survived the amputation surgery but only for a short time before she passed away.

On Sept 16, 2026, at approximately 1:30 AM, our mom peacefully took her last breath. While her passing is profoundly painful, there is comfort in knowing she is reunited in heaven with her parents, her brother James, and her late boyfriend Andrew who passed away three years prior.

She is survived by her sister Mary Fulk and her children Denise Craft and Duane Craft; her son-in-law Mark Fleming; her daughter-in-law Chris Craft, her grandchildren Timothy and Matthew Jenkins, Alyssa and Aidan Craft; her grandson-in-law Scott Robinson; and her great grandchildren Kylie, William, Tristan, Davina and Charlie Jenkins.

She is also survived by her niece Kristen Smith and her husband Troy Smith, her nephews James Williams, Jeff Williams, and Christopher (CJ) Reed. And her great niece Ashley Williams and great nephews Thomas & Elizabeth Smith and Spencer & Grace Smith. She was preceded in death by her parents Pam and Charles Reed and her brother James Reed.

A Memorial for Carole Reed will be held Sat Oct. 17, 2026, at 3:00 PM at the Orange Crest Mobile Home Park at 5215 E. Chapman Ave Orange, CA 92869 in the Clubhouse with a Reception to follow with food and drinks. Dress of casual business attire, nice dress pants, dress shirts etc. our mom would appreciate it.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Alzheimer's Association act.alz.org. Thank you!