David Bruce Reed, III, of Solomons, Md., died on September 12, 2026 at age 89. He was born June 7, 1937 in Sumter, SC and was raised in Charleston, SC. After graduating from The Citadel in 1959, he was commissioned in the Army. His 24-year Army career took him to assignments in Europe and the Far East. He served two tours in the Vietnam War and one tour in The Pentagon on the Army Staff. His favorite assignment was as Provost Marshal of Fort Jackson, SC. As one of the Army’s few commissioned criminal investigators, he was in charge of several criminal investigation units and participated in several nationally known investigations. Besides Infantry, Military Police Officers and Criminal Investigation courses, he also attended the Army’s Command and General Staff College and obtained his Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Honor Medal, Expert Infantry Badge, Army General Staff Badge, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab and various service medals. In 1983, he retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.
David then worked as a Security Consultant for several years. He was a Certified Protection Professional (CPP). He joined the World Bank Group in 1988 as the Chief of Security Policy and Planning. In 1995, he became the Chief of Security for the World Bank Group. In 1999, he retired again and moved to his waterfront house in Southern Maryland to pursue his lifelong hobbies of golf and boating. He was a life member of The Military Officers Association of America, The International Association of Chiefs of Police, and The American Society for Industrial Security.
David’s real love in life was his family. He was the son of the late Bruce and Charlotte Reed of Charleston, SC. He married his longtime girlfriend Natalie Furlong in 1959.
They were married for 67 years and lived for 32 of those years in Breton Bay Estates in Leonardtown, MD. They have two children, Charlanne Reed Hertz and the late David B. Reed, IV. He is also survived by his son-in-law Jay Hertz and his brother, Marion S. Reed, his wife Patricia and son Brook. David and Natalie have six grandchildren: Jason Hertz and his wife Andrea, Tommy Hertz and his wife Carrington, Sam Hertz and his wife Luane, Brandy Reed and her husband Robert Guy, Whitney Matthews and her husband Travis, and Kristy Irvine and her husband Sean. They have five great grandchildren: Carson and Jackson Hertz, sons of Jason and Andrea; one great granddaughter, Amelia and one great grandson, Clayton, children of Travis and Whitney, and Logan David Irvine, son of Sean and Kristy.
A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 11:00am at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in California, MD. Interment will follow at Charles Memorial Gardens in Leonardtown, MD.
Memorial contributions may be sent to St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 44078 St. Andrews Church Road, California, MD 20619.
Condolences to the family may be left at www.brinsfieldsfuneral.com.
Arrangements by Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.