Rachel Reaves Worley

Sarah Rachel Reaves was born and raised in Gladys, Va. She had two brothers and two sisters. After high school, she went to Lynchburg College for a degree in elementary education. She spent two years in the coast guard and began teaching in Danville, Va. She taught for a total of 35 years, including in the American Schools in Greece. She spent 30 years teaching in FCPS, retiring in 1980. She lived in northern VA near Mike and Debbie and the girls into her 80s, at which time she moved to central PA with Charlotte and David. She is survived by her three children (Rae Ellen, Mike, and Charlotte), as well as five grandchildren and six great grandchildren, all of whom adored her and were much enriched by her influence in their lives. Her grandkids felt that she was the sweetest person ever; very caring and inspiring. She was devoutly religious and attended Immanuel Baptist Church in Annandale for decades. She made many close friends there and traveled to Europe and Russia and New Zealand with church groups. A fixture in her life was her daily reading of devotions- they filled her with hope about the afterlife. Rachel was witty and clever, surprising everyone with her clarity of thought even as she passed 100 years old. Although she was known to spar with her doctors about treatments and medicines, she never spoke badly about anyone. She loved to travel, to eat (most anything) and try new things. She loved to read, particularly history, and more particularly about the Civil War. And she loved the Waltons (which was another of her daily routines). There was much more to Rachel and her life, but this is a start. She took care of her mother in her declining years, as her daughter Charlotte did for her. She passed away peacefully in KY on Nov 12 after 101 wonderful years of life. There has never been a world for any of us without her in it- this is our first world without her. We miss her so much.