REED, ESTHER ELIZABETH (HAMPTON), age 83, passed away after an extended illness on Friday, January 30, 2026, at Wesley Medical Center, with her loving husband, son, and daughter by her side.  A passionate dancer, singer, musician, and teacher; devoted wife and mother; and a woman of extraordinary warmth and grace, Esther lived a life defined by kindness, generosity, and love.

Esther was born on October 18, 1942, in Grove, Oklahoma, to Emma Rozella Kropp Hampton and Dale Hammond Hampton. She grew up on a farm in Grove and was graduated from Grove High School in 1960. She went on to attend Oklahoma City University on a full scholarship, where she was graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music.

In 1962, Esther met the love of her life, A.J. Reed, on a blind date. They were married on April 4, 1964, beginning a beautiful partnership that would span more than six decades. After A.J. was graduated from medical school in June of 1965, the couple moved to Wichita, Kansas. Esther began working toward her master's degree in music at Wichita State University until the birth of their son, Todd, in November 1965. In 1969, the family moved to Denver, where their daughter, Alicia, was born.

Music and dance were lifelong passions for Esther. She loved singing, playing the piano, and dancing ballet, and she found great joy both in performing and in teaching others. Her love of performing began at an early age. While still in grade school in the 1950s, she was a member of an all-girls choral and dance group known as the "Okies." The Okies traveled and performed regionally, made radio advertisements, and were once featured at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

After graduating from college, Esther taught music in Okarche, Oklahoma. In 1971, after returning to Wichita from Denver, she joined The Voices of Choral Arts, a professional women's performing group created to provide a stage for talented vocalists. For many years, the group produced elaborate performances featuring choral arrangements accompanied by colorful costumes and dance. Esther sang second soprano and alto and also served as choreographer for several productions, including "There's a Girl on My Screen," "Hear! Hear!," and "Let's Go!"

Throughout the years, Esther shared her love of music and dance with countless students. She taught dance and music at Wichita Collegiate School, Workshop East Dance Studio, and the Wichita Children's Theatre and Dance Center. She also judged dance competitions nationally into her later years with "I Love Dance" and served as an ambassador for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

Esther enjoyed performing with her sister Jane as part of the Hereford Chamber Singers in Hereford, Texas. The group performed in the United States and abroad, including a memorable tour of Romania behind the Iron Curtain in 1977. In 1988, they toured Australia and performed at the World's Fair in Brisbane. In 1994, Esther and Jane toured Italy with a Catholic choir from Amarillo and had the honor of singing before the Pope in the Vatican.  In 1999, they toured  Britian with the Texas Plains Chorale.  Esther delighted in sharing her love of fine artistic performance all over the world.

Above all else, Esther was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Her family was the center of her world, and she poured her heart into caring for those she loved. Giving was truly her love language. She was endlessly generous with her time, attention, and affection, always putting others first and wanting the very best for her children and grandchildren. Nothing brought her greater joy than seeing the people she loved happy, especially her grandsons, Harrison and Jackson, whom she cherished most of all.

Esther was known for her warmth, compassion, and grace. She had a remarkable ability to make everyone around her feel seen, valued, and loved. Her kindness and generosity touched countless lives. She also possessed impeccable style and an effortless elegance that made everything she touched more beautiful. Esther loved interior decorating and had a special gift for creating welcoming spaces filled with warmth, beauty, and charm.

Everyone who met Esther loved her. She had a radiant spirit and a gentle heart that drew people to her wherever she went. She lived her life with grace, kindness, and quiet generosity, leaving a lasting imprint on the hearts of all who knew her.

Though her family's hearts are heavy with loss, they are also filled with gratitude for the love she gave so freely and the beautiful life she lived. Esther's legacy will live on in the music she shared, the beauty she created, and—most of all—in the love she poured into her family and friends.

Esther was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Don Hampton and Charles Hampton; and her beloved sister, Emma Jane Hampton Gulley. She is survived by her husband, Dr. A.J. Reed; her daughter and son-in-law, Alicia and Crash DeSario; her son and daughter-in-law, Todd and Laura Reed; and her grandsons, Harrison Reed and Jackson Reed. She is also survived by her brother, Dale Hampton; her sister-in-law, Janet Hampton; and many loving nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life honoring our beautiful, beloved Esther will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Wichita Country Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Esther's name to the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University or to the charity of your choice.

She filled the world with beauty, and her light will continue to shine in the hearts of those who loved her.