Making sure everyone in town knows that they matter

Marge Reed has been helping create a sense of community in her little town for more than 30 years. Photo by Matt Schepeler

March 14, 2025

Opinion by Matt Schepeler

For years, Marge Reed of Onsted, Michigan has been unofficially known as “The Sign Lady.”

Reed posts resident’s birthdays, anniversaries and special announcements on the sign along Main Street in the village. She started 30 years ago after Keith Johncox, who locals remember for selling fresh-churned butter in the area, asked her to take over the sign postings.

Putting plastic letters up one-by-one on a slot sign in all kinds of weather to announce birthdays, anniversaries and other special announcements is definitely old school. You might say Marge was Facebook before Facebook was cool.

Now Margie is handing the title of “The Sign Lady” over to Peg Schultz, who will keep the Onsted tradition alive.

Reed’s hobby – she never made a dime – has lent a sense of community to Onsted for the past three decades, which seems more important than ever. We live in a time when we are divided, with the gap seeming to widen by the day. There are underlying currents of anger emanating from every direction - and the temptation to dislike, and even hate, our neighbor has never been greater.

Marge’s simple sign has served to remind people who may feel insignificant or forgotten that they matter, as friends and neighbors tell them “Hey! I saw your name on the sign! Happy birthday!”

It is small town stuff, that's for sure, but that is kind of the beauty of it, don't you think?

The fact is, Marge has been making people smile for a long, long time, and you just can’t beat that.

A typical posting on Marge's sign.

Matt Schepeler is publisher of the Brooklyn Exponent. Feel free to comment in the space allocated below or reach him at Matt@EveningViews.com.

Subscribe to the Exponent by clicking here.

Subscribe to the Evening Views newsletter by

 entering your email and clicking the subscribe box on the home page.