Robin E. Reeves

Robin Esther Reeves, 68, of Cary, IL passed away on Saturday, June 18, 2022, following a nearly 3 year battle with a very aggressive, relentless, and merciless lymphoma that she fought courageously, determined to beat this unwelcome disease using the most aggressive forms of treatments that the doctors could come up with. Unfortunately, none of the ten different programs that Robin went through worked for more than a couple of weeks before the cancer managed to out smart the treatments. At the time of her passing, Robin was at home surrounded and held by her husband, Tom, daughter, Dawn, and son, Tom Jr.

Born on March 1, 1954, to George and Esther Ristoff, in Chicago, IL, Robin is the middle sister to brothers George and Richard. The family moved to Park Ridge where she attended Elementary and High School. Upon graduating College, Robin worked as substitute teacher, lunch mother volunteer, administrative assistant, and teacher’s aide early in her career in the Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Hoffman Estates, Cary, and then at Countryside School in Barrington. Robin closed her teaching career as a full time Kindergarten and First Grade Physical Education teacher at Locust Elementary School in Marengo. Robin’s warm, fun, caring, loving characteristics and her unique style for engaging her students made her a perfect fit for teaching and nurturing young children.

All of the characteristics that made Robin a great teacher held true in her personal life as well. She met her sole mate, best friend, and life partner, Tom Reeves, while they we both on Christmas break from college in December of 1973 and they got married on August 23, 1975. As a married couple, they lived in an apartment Rosemont, IL for 2 years before buying their first home in Hoffman Estates, where Robin and Tom were blessed with two fantastic children, Dawn and Tom Jr. In 1989 they built their home in Cary, IL and they still reside today. Dawn married Ross Kirshner and they blessed Robin and Tom with two amazing grandsons, Austyn and Payton. Tom Jr. is in a relationship with Sarah Sobotka and both are very happy together in Rolling Meadows. Robin loved going on vacations, but especially family vacations. She absolutely adored her children and grandchildren, loved them to the moon and back, and couldn’t have been more proud of each of them.

Robin had many hobbies, but her favorites were gardening, traveling the country by car taking time to visit points of interest along the way, and doing crafts with the family (especially Austyn and Payton). Robin also enjoyed going on long walks, bike rides, kayaking, swimming, working with stained glass, sewing, searching for the Northern Lights, and many others, but one of her favorites was cuddling with her grandsons. Robin also truly enjoyed talking to people and she was an excellent listener, which made talking to her so easy.

Robin was preceded in death by her parents George and Esther Ristoff, and is survived by her husband Tom Reeves, her children Dawn (Ross) Kirshner and Tom Jr. (Sarah Sobotka), her grandsons Austyn Kirshner and Payton Kirshner, brothers George (Judy Sheldon-Macnerland), Richard (Donna), many bothers-in-law, sisters-in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews, and many very close friends and neighbors all of whom love her and will miss her dearly. While we are all suffering in our own ways today, Robin wants us to not focus on the pain these last few years brought, but for the lifetime of sweet, fun memories we all made with her throughout all of her life.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Robin’s memory to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, or a lymphoma research organization of your choice.

Visitation for Robin will be held Thursday, June 23, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Oehler Funeral Home, 2099 Miner Street, Des Plaines, IL 60016. A funeral service will occur Friday, June 24, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Oehler Funeral Home following a graveside service at Ridgewood Memorial Park Cemetery, 9900 N. Milwaukee Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60016.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OehlerFuneralHome.com for the Reeves family.