James A. Rud (Jimmy Reed), 80

James Arthur Rud (Jimmy Reed, also known as “Art”), 80, of Farmington, died June 16, 2017, in Red Wing.
A celebration of life is set for Sunday, June 25, from noon to 5 p.m., at the Glencoe VFW Club. Burial will be at a later date at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
He was born Oct. 2, 1936, to Geraldine (Feeney) and Norman Rud Sr. in Minneapolis, and was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith.
He graduated from Brown Institute in 1959 and began working in radio. His radio personality name was Jimmy Reed and he worked for KDWB, KRSI, WLOL and WDGY radio stations.
He adored music and in the 1970s an ad promoting his show used the tag line “more music is Jimmy’s specialty.”
His job put him in close contact with many famous people. He would share pictures and stories that you could listen to all day. He even took the band Alabama out for a ride on his boat.
Jimmy most enjoyed spending time with friends and family, sitting around the kitchen table playing cards and board games. He had a bigger than life personality; making people laugh was his specialty, and he was very good at it. And he was famous for pulling pranks. You never knew what he would do next.
He also owned Reed’s Pizza in Prior Lake.
He is survived by his brother, Norman Rud Jr. of Golden Valley and his partner Gloria Cant of Red Wing; nephews, Donald (Joan) Rud of Greenfield, David (Jen) Rud of Inver Grove Heights, Jerry Sara (Rud) of Princeton and Steve (Tammy) Rud of Hastings; and his adopted family, the Adam Alsleben family of Glencoe. He was preceded in death by his parents.