Mildred Jewell Reese

Born in Joplin, Missouri on February 3, 1924, Mildred grew up as the epitome of a midwest girl in Tulsa, Oklahoma and her midwest accent would give her away to anyone she spoke to. She graduated from Will Rogers High School. She married the love of her life Kenneth Reese in 1943 and spent their first two years of marriage together on Grand Isle, Louisiana while he was in the US Coast Guard. She would often fondly remember their time together on the island. They moved to Tucson, AZ and raised two wonderful daughters. She devoted her life to her family. People who knew her understood that family was the most important part of her life. Any place she went would feel more like a home as soon as she arrived. She loved spending time with her family in Pinetop in the White mountains of Arizona and visiting her daughter in Canada, which inspired her love of painting beautiful landscapes of the mountains and deserts. She loved seeing her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow.

People may disappear but they never really go away. Their spirits put the sun to bed, water the grass, and spin the earth in busy circles. Sometimes, if you look real close, you can see angels dancing in a cloud. They paint the rainbow and sunset and make the waves splash and tug at the tide. They toss shooting stars across the sky and listen closely to our wishes. And when they sing their songs, they are whispering to us, “Don’t miss me too much. The view is nice and I’m doing just fine. Mildred is preceded in death by her husband Kenneth Reese, her daughter Jeanne Reese, and her sister Betty May Smith. She is survived by her daughter Linda (Bill) Weese, her brother Paul (Betty) Smith, sister-in-law Billie Boulden, 6 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.