Jean Shannon Reeve

Jean Shannon Reeve, age 95, died peacefully on Saturday, May 5, 2007 at Peabody Manor. She was born in Appleton on January 22, 1912, the daughter of the late Mabel Agnes (nee Ottery) and S. C. Shannon. Jean attended Appleton public schools and then obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Lawrence College in 1934. After additional study at Columbia University, New York Teachers College, she taught at McKinley Junior High. On September 4, 1937, Jean and John Paxton Reeve were married at Memorial Presbyterian Church. They resided in Appleton where they raised their three children.

A gracious, happy person who loved her family and friends, Jean brightened countless lives. With a broad, lively interest in many things, she was a wise and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. She saw the positives in others and connected thoughtfully with them whether they were lifelong friends or new acquaintances.

Jean loved the communities in which she lived. As a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ, she taught Sunday School, served on the Board of Christian Education and the Building Committee for the present church, delivered Meals on Wheels, served as a Trustee of Lakeland College, and helped establish the first day care center in Appleton. Jean was a devoted alumna of Lawrence University, and a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship award. She was a member of Wednesday Club, Kings Daughters, PEO Sisterhood, and Kappa Alpha Theta Fox Valley Alumnae Chapter. Additionally, she was a member of the Ephraim Historical Foundation and docent at the Anderson Store Museum for many years.

Jean had a great appreciation of her widowed mother raising four very young children after the death of Jean’s father in 1917. She remembered a happy childhood, especially summers at the family cottage on Lake Winnebago, and at Camp Onaway as a camper and counselor. Jean and John were supporters of YMCA and Boy Scout summer camp programs and Camp Manito-wish YMCA.

Jean and her husband spent memorable summers at their Door County cottage with family and friends. Jean liked to canoe, sail, watch birds, and garden. Ever-changing clouds, sky, and sunsets on the water fascinated her. She dabbled in various art media, and enjoyed working again with water color at Peabody Manor.

Survivors include her son James S. (Ann) Reeve II, New Berlin, Wisconsin; daughters Elizabeth Hansen, Reno, Nevada and Barbara (Craig) Reeve Baker, Katmandu, Nepal; grandchildren Helen (Eric) Conlon, Elizabeth (Jon) Baranko, Lucy C. Reeve, James S. (Margaret) Reeve III, Barbara Carter, and Leslie Beguin; great grandchildren Catie, Maggie, Ryan, Robby, Drew, Olivia, Ethan, and Caroline; sister-in-law Jane Shannon; nieces Nancy Parish, Mary Williams, and Emily Shannon; other relatives and friends. Jean was preceded in death by her husband John March 20, 2005, brothers Sydney C. Shannon, Jr. and Robert Wright Shannon, and sister Elizabeth “Bets” Watkins.

The memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 18, 2007, at FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 724 East South River Street, Appleton, with Rev. Jane Anderson officiating. Friends will be received at the funeral home on Thursday, May 17, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. and at the church on Friday, from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. If desired, memorials may be given to First Congregational United Church of Christ of Appleton, Lawrence University, or The Ephraim Historical Foundation, P.O. Box 165, Ephraim, Wisconsin 54211.

The family would like to express their deep appreciation to caregivers and staff of The Heritage, Peabody Manor, Valley VNA, and Theda Care at Home; to Drs. Chuck McKee, Dr. Abhilash Desai, and Dr. Gary Lamps and their staffs; Pastors Jane Anderson and Kevin Gregory; and the many supportive friends and associates of Jean and family.