Janice S Reeves

Janice Maurine Sailer Reeves went home to be with her Lord and Savior July 20, 2020. She was born in Hebron, North Dakota on October 1, 1926.  She moved to Tacoma, WA as a teenager with her Mother and 2 brothers in 1942, when her mother got a job at the Tacoma Shipyard as an electrician during the Second World War.  After graduating from Lincoln High School, Janice attended Knapp’s Business College. As a young woman she worked in downtown Tacoma as a personal secretary and met her future husband, Mike, at the local USO. They married in 1950 at Holy Rosary Church and Janice became a soldier’s wife, going wherever Mike was stationed. She was devoted to her husband, children, and her Catholic faith.  She loved to sing, laugh, garden, read, bake, shop garage sales, donate to charities, and oh Lordy, did she love her dark chocolate! 
 
Janice was an intelligent, well read woman, with a constant love of learning. She loved studying history, religion, politics, and she prided herself in keeping up with the current affairs around the world. She would even read the sports page so she could converse with sports fans.
Baking was a favorite pastime and Janice was always on the hunt for a new recipe.  Her garden was one of her greatest joys, of which she was proud and loved to share. Janice grew everything from Asparagus to Zucchini and everything in between.
Janice often mentioned that even though she came from a poor family, her mother, Isabel, always made them fresh squeezed orange juice every morning. She and her brothers stayed after school to clean the chalk boards to help pay for tuition at their Catholic School. The poverty that she experienced made her a generous giver to her loved St. Anne’s parish and many charities.
Janice persevered after her beloved husband passed away in 1981, leaving her with more responsibility than she probably ever thought she'd have to carry alone. It was the love for her church, her faith in Jesus Christ, and her confidence that God works in the world that carried her through. In keeping with her spirit of service, she donated blood, drove cancer patients to their appointments, tutored for the Tacoma School District, and was a founding member of the Formerly Married Catholics (FMC) at St. Anne’s.
 
She is preceded in death by husband, Thurman Reeves (Mike), son David Reeves, and bothers Donald and Eugene Sailer. She is survived by her 6 children, Michael (Annie) Reeves, Carol Reeves McDowell, Janine Reeves, Patrick (Bonnie) Reeves, Lynn Reeves, April (Glen) Tower, and her brother David (Gwen) Sailer. She has 7 grandchildren, Lacey (AJ) Bundy, Michael (Rachel) Bundy, Alicia (Shane) Spellman, Megan Reeves, David Reeves, Igor (Erin) Reeves, Anastasia Reeves, and 3 great grandchildren, Grace, Jackson, and Jace, all for whom she was very proud. Our mother was the Matriarch of our family with a deep love for us all, including her church and friends. She will be profoundly missed.

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