Longtime Madison bartender dies trying to cross Florida freeway | criminality

Beloved Madison bartender Mary Reed was killed while trying to cross a freeway in Fort Myers, Fla. on Wednesday night, a friend has confirmed.
Reed, 55, who was a bartender at Crystal Corner Bar, Ale Asylum, Brothers Three and most recently Dive Inn, wrote on Facebook that it was his first vacation in 15 years.
A story by ABC-TV station WWSB in Sarasota did not name Reed in a story Thursday, but said a Wisconsin woman was killed after she was hit by two vehicles as she walked in the lane of traffic, trying to cross San Carlos Boulevard.
He said a pedestrian was hit by a white sedan heading south. “A second car just behind them swerved to avoid it but also hit the woman, who died at the scene,” he added.
The report says the driver of the white sedan fled the scene and is wanted by the Florida Highway Patrol.
An article in the Fort Myers News-Press said the accident happened shortly after 7 p.m.
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He said the second car was being driven by a 58-year-old Fort Myers woman and was heading south on San Carlos behind the first vehicle.
A patrol report indicates that the second driver swerved to avoid the pedestrian but struck the woman with the right front of the vehicle. He also said surveillance video from a local business showed the suspect vehicle moments after the crash heading south from San Carlos.
The report says the pedestrian was from Cottage Grove.
Reed’s friend Gene Cook said Reed was with his sister, Laura Reed Blew, when she was hit.
“Mary treasured her daughters and her family, was a loyal friend, lit up the room with her frank sense of humor,” Cook said.
Josh Wacker, co-owner of the Dive Inn, 521 Cottage Grove Road, said he was in “difficult condition” Thursday morning.
Wacker said Reed was the first person he hired when the bar opened last June. He said she worked one day a week and had hip surgery, so she recently returned to work at the bar.
“It was fun having her with us,” he said. “She was always helpful in covering shifts and had a good following. A good crowd always came to see her.”
The bar hosts a lunchtime meat raffle once a month to benefit local elementary schools and this month, on March 19, the money raised will go to Reed’s family, Wacker said.
He said he planned with Reed’s boyfriend to close the bar next week during Reed’s regular Wednesday shift and get a band together to pay his respects.
Reed leaves behind two daughters.
Photos: January 2022 in photos
A snowy owl perches on a lamp post above John Nolen Drive in Madison, Wisconsin, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER
A pair of bald eagles fly over the Wisconsin River in Prairie du Sac, Wis., Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
The center of the public art installation, ‘How Lovely Are Thy Branches,’ is illuminated by visitors to the public opening of the artwork at Olbrich Park in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. Composed of Christmas Repurposed trees donated by members of the public, the nearly 90-foot-diameter maze was designed by artist Lillian Sizemore and funded by the Madison Arts Commission’s BLINK program, which distributes about $10,000 a year in grants for temporary public art installations. It will remain open to visitors until February. JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER
JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER
Rosalie Powell, front, and Karuna Bhat, students at UW-Madison, share a moment surrounded by tropical plants during a visit to the Bolz Conservatory at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
UW-Madison senior Melanie LaFountain walks through the doors of Memorial Union on campus in Madison, Wisconsin, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER
Eddie Bryant, general manager of the 300 Club, demonstrates how they use string pinspotters to lay pins at the bowling alley in Green Lake, Wis., Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Stella Stonys, 3, of Madison is tossed into the air by her father, Vitalijus, before they descend the hill at Elver Park in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) hoists kicker Robbie Gould (9) in the air after his game-winning game against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin , Saturday Jan Feb 22, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
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Wisconsin Badgers forward Tyler Wahl (5) celebrates his dunk with teammate Chucky Hepburn (23) in the second half of a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATUS LOG
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Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn (23) and Johnny Davis (1) go after the ball against Minnesota forward Jamison Battle (10) during the second half at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday January 30 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
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Verona Region/Annika Rufenacht of Edgewood competes on the balance beam during the 35th Annual Mount Horeb Viking Gymnastics Tournament at High School in Mount Horeb, Wis., Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
Oregon’s Olivia Neis (22) attempts to intercept a pass intended for Reedsburg’s Mahra Wieman (30) during the first half of a Badger West Conference game between the teams at Oregon High School in Oregon, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER
Students from the Kickapoo Valley Forestry School in Larfarge, Wisconsin, including Finley Thornton, in the foreground, cross a trail on the grounds of the Kickapoo Valley Reservation Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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A kitesurfer flies over the frozen surface of Monona Lake near Olbrich Park in Monona, Wis., Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
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Hockey players on Monona Lake in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Haley Meskin uses a kitewing to glide across the frozen surface of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
KAYLA WOLF STATE DIARY
Joel Witt and his mixed-breed dog, Rosie, walk along the ice near the shore of Monona Lake at Olbrich Park in Madison, Wisconsin, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER
Corey Stelljes Fat Tire Bikes at Quarry Ridge Recreation Area in Fitchburg, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
KAYLA WOLF STATE DIARY
Simon Walker flies through the air as he practices jumps from the 30-meter jump at Blackhawk Ski Club in Middleton, Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
KAYLA WOLF STATE DIARY
Finley Lancaster, 4, kicks up snow as he snowshoes with his mother, Erica, at Olbrich Park in Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
Members of a Madison Pond Hockey squad play a game on a cleared section of Monona Lake near Yahara Place Park in Monona, Wis., Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
KAYLA WOLF STATE DIARY
A setting sun silhouettes skaters visiting Vilas Park Pond in Madison, Wis., as generally clear skies and slightly warmer temperatures settle in the area Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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Don Herman, right, and Jason Mathe, left, mark a vehicle bridge with pine trees over Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. The bridge allows vehicles to pass an expansion crack in the ice without getting stuck. KAYLA WOLF, STATE NEWSPAPER
KAYLA WOLF STATE DIARY
Darrell Greiwe and his son, Julien, 3, explore a skating rink recently cleared by neighbors living on the north shore of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
JOHN HART, STATE NEWSPAPER