Andy Reid’s Wife Tammy Reid Has Been Collecting Antique Quilts for Decades
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Tonight, the spotlight is on Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid as he leads his team in their third straight Super Bowl. Supporting him is his wife of over 40 years, Tammy Reid.
“My whole philosophy and my whole motto in my life since I’ve been married is: Live where you’re planted,” she said. “Andrew has transplanted me to eight different states now; I’ve had five kids in five states. You have to be positive and just jump into the community.”
Here’s what you need to know about Tammy Reid:
She was born in New York, grew up in Tennessee, and went to high school in Arizona.
“My parents are the greatest examples of service that I've ever met in my whole life,” she told the Time Herald. “There was hardly a day that went by when my mom or dad wasn't helping someone: driving someone somewhere, fixing something, taking a meal or baking something.”
Tammy met Andy at Brigham Young University.
The first met when they both enrolled in the same tennis class: Fundamentals of Tennis. “He had this air about him—this confidence,” Tammy recalled of her first impression of him, “but he wouldn't ask me out, and I'd never not had a guy that I wanted to ask me out not ask me out. So the second half of the semester, since it's a half credit, we played badminton. We were playing after he had already beaten me at tennis and I'm like, ‘Well, I could beat you at racquetball.’”
After dating for some time, Andy was baptized into to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tammy’s family’s faith. The rest was history: They married on August 8, 1981.
“I'd never known a coach, I'd never been with a coach. I had no idea what our lives were going to be like,” she said. “I was just a roll-with-the-punches kind of girl and I'm a bloom-where-you're-planted kind of girl. So we'd move. I'd get everybody ready, I'd get the house ready, we'd sell the house, do whatever we needed to do, jump in the U-Haul, and we'd just move…It was just a part of life. You were so young that you didn't even know that it was crazy, that what you were doing was crazy.”
They have five children.
Tammy and Andy welcomed five children in five different states, due to his career: Garrett, Britt, Crosby, Drew Ann, and Spencer. Garrett passed away in 2012 from a heroin overdose after struggling with drug addiction.
“We loved Garrett so much. He was a wonderful son and brother. He made us laugh, he was a pleasure to be around, he always had a smile on his face, and we will miss him dearly. We will never forget him, and we will remember him with love,” the Reids said in a statement at the time. “Garrett's road through life was not always an easy one. He faced tremendous personal challenges with bravery and spirit. As a family, we stood by him and were inspired as he worked to overcome those challenges. Even though he lost the battle that has been ongoing for the last eight years, we will always remember him as a fighter who had a huge, loving heart.”
She’s an avid quilt collector.
The Missouri Quilt Museum staged an exhibit of her quilts, writing, “Tammy has been collecting antique quilts for over 30 years. From yard sales and thrift stores to antique shops to ebay bidding, she has a slight addiction! One that we sit back and applaud!”
They added, “Although Tammy loves all vintage quilts, she often gravitates to two genres. Red White and Green, and Red White and Blue. She's not even sure how many she has, due to always adding to her collection. Tammy also enjoys quilting and has made many baby quilts (and their double) and a smaller version to go in the car, etc. for each of her grandchildren. She also [enjoys] other handwork arts including her current favorite, needlepoint.”
Tammy shared, “My grandmother gave me my first quilt when I was a child. And my mother gave us a quilt for a wedding present. This is what inspired my love of quilts. I am partial to red, white and green quilts, especially at Christmas time. I will pile quilts everywhere during the Christmas season.”
Tammy is active in the Mormon church.
Per a profile of Tammy in the Times Herald from 2013, “Strict Mormons – they never drink alcohol or watch R-rated movies, the Reids joined a Broomall church soon after their arrival in Philly. As Special Stake Missionaries, the couple spoke about ‘Family, Faith and Football’ in members’ homes and Tammy served as president of the Young Women’s Organization, for 12- to 18-year-olds. At Tammy’s suggestion, Andy once led the visiting Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the Eagles’ Fight Song at the Mann Music Center. His appearance brought down the house. When the ward’s boundaries changed, the family switched to the church in Philly. She became an advisor to the Young Women’s group, leading Sunday Gospel teachings at least once a month and attending as many of the group’s Tuesday night meetings as her schedule allowed. ‘Sure, Tammy is spunky, bubbly and fun, but she’s been a wonderful role model for our girls and takes her teaching seriously,’ Young Women’s Organization President Heidi Roberts said. ‘She takes significant time preparing lessons with the girls in mind. You can tell she has a really deep concern and care for them and she always puts other people first.’”
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