A Celebration of Life for Gerald “Jerry” Reeves, age 83, of Lake View, IA formerly of Maxwell, IA will be held at 3:00 P.M. Thursday at the Maxwell Community Building in Maxwell, IA.Private family inurnment will be in the Loring Cemetery in rural Maxwell.
Jerry Reeves, age 83, died Sunday, June 26, 2011, at Loring Hospital in Sac City, Iowa, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Jerry was born May 4, 1928 in Altoona, Iowa to Gerald B. and Iva Reeves. He attended elementary school in Altoona and graduated from Farrar High School in 1946. Jerry served in the US Army and the Iowa National Guard at the end of World War II. He attended Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) earning a teachers degree. He was called home to the farm when his father became ill. He married Rose Marie Van Hook in 1948.
Jerry farmed in the Maxwell and Cambridge areas for over 50 years. He worked in the winter months for John Deere in Ankeny, Iowa. As a young man Jerry was noted for his progressive farming practices. Jerry played baseball in high school and college and was active in summer community leagues. He served as a Washington Township Trustee for many years and was instrumental in the construction of the Maxwell Fire Station. He also served as President of the Board of the Skunk River Drainage District and spent countless hours maintaining the integrity of the river dikes. He was an early flying farmer and enjoyed flying his club’s airplane on many cross country trips. In 1995 he married Judy Bullock with whom he enjoyed traveling much of the world. Two of his favorite destinations were the Great Wall of China and riding the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. He was an avid card player and enjoyed many games of chance. He was also a lifetime golfer.
He became a serious “rock gardener” after retiring from active farming. Jerry spent winters in Tucson and eventually made his home there. He enjoyed volunteering at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. He volunteered for 8 years at spring baseball training for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox. Jerry moved back to Iowa in 2010 to be close to family. His long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease brought him to live at Black Hawk Life Care Center in Lake View, Iowa.
A Celebration of Life for Gerald “Jerry” Reeves, age 83, of Lake View, IA formerly of Maxwell, IA will be held at 3:00 P.M. Thursday at the Maxwell Community Building in Maxwell, IA.Private family inurnment will be in the Loring Cemetery in rural Maxwell.
