Mary Margaret (Gill) Reeves

MARY REEVES – IN MEMORIUM

Mary Margaret Gill was born on November 26, 1939, as the daughter of Duane Sherman Gill and Mary Lewis Gill of Washington, D.C. Her birth was celebrated by the family and even honored by receipt of a letter from J. Edgar Hoover, Duane’s boss at the FBI. Before leaving D.C. to relocate to Des Moines, Iowa, beloved sister Kathy was added to the family. The family was complete when brother Richard came along in 1950. 

Mary was a very bright, creative, and adventurous girl with a strong sense of family. In her teen years she joined the Masonic Order of Rainbow for Girls, and advanced to become a Worthy Advisor of Auburn Assembly #7. As an adult, she was active in Eastern Star. 

In 1956, Mary was introduced to the love of her life, Narman Reeves, by her friend she knew from swimming, Ann Lippincott, who later married Narm’s brother Rod. The two couples became very close friends, sharing long-distance motorcycle adventures, swimming, and water skiing. 

Mary and Narman married on August 2, 1958. Shortly thereafter, Narm was drafted into the Army, where he served for two years in Fayetteville, North Carolina. While there, Mary gave birth to a son, Lawrence Blake Reeves. 

The young family returned to Des Moines in 1961 when Mary settled in as a homemaker and Narm worked as a machinist and later became a tool and die maker until his early retirement in 1993. Mary and Narm bought their family home in 1962 on Arthur Avenue in Des Moines. In September of 1962, a second son, William Lewis Reeves, was born. Their third son, Russell Lee Reeves, was born on their anniversary in August, 1964, and he later would tell everyone who questionably asked: “I was born the same day my mom and dad got married.” 

Mary’s mother passed away suddenly in 1967. Her father remarried a few years later to Maxine (McNaney) Gill, adding two new brothers, Steven McNaney and William McNaney. 

Mary spent much of her energy on making sure Narm, the house, and family were well cared for. This included being up every weekday morning at 6:00 am for 36 years to make sure Narm’s breakfast and lunch pail were ready and to send him off with a love you and a kiss. She remained Narm’s devoted partner and then caregiver until the day he passed away in April, 2020. 

Their three rambunctious, curious boys were always engaged in some new shenanigans: playing sports with neighborhood friends, riding (and sometimes, sliding, jumping, or crashing) bicycles, or sledding at Birdland Park. 

Throughout their lives, Larry, Bill, and Russ could count on their mom and dad to be at almost every sporting event or activity to cheer them on, giving Bill encouragement behind home plate or while at bat. Larry, Russ, and their friends especially remember Mary running between cross-country course checkpoints, screaming encouragement at the most important moments. 

Holidays and family events were always celebrated, with Mary’s artistic talents being put to good use in preparing decorations and snacks. She made sure the house was always a vibrant, interesting home that felt much larger than its size. Regular outings with her sister, Kathy, typically netted unique and special finds to be incorporated into the décor of each of their homes. Every re-fresh of the house made it an even nicer place to call home. She even had the Cub Scout pack (of which she was a den mother) help her create the entry to the house by beating 4x4s with chains and hammers to give it an “antique” look! 

When there was a serious or important topic to be discussed, Mary was always open and eager to engage any of the family in a thoughtful conversation – and exploration, if needed. No topic was off limits. 

Mary and Narm hosted Bridge Club on a rotating basis at their home with their friends while Larry, Bill, and Russ pretended they were starving to get some of the bridge mix brought upstairs.

Hosting foreign exchange students from many countries fostered a deeply rooted travel and exploration bug in the boys. For instance, Russ and Monica hosted two exchange students and Larry and Maria traveled extensively in Europe. Taking the idea of international exchange even further, Mary and Narm spearheaded efforts to assist two wonderful families displaced from Vietnam and Croatia to relocate and transition to life in the USA.

As the boys began to leave the nest, Mary could further engage with her many artistic talents. Even a pair of pants that needed mending ended up with creative stitching or embroidery worth showing off to friends. Never settling into one niche, Mary made forays into painting, multi-media arts, and papermaking. In her spare time she gave swimming lessons and helped coach synchronized swimming with her sister-in-law Ann Reeves.

Mary was the family archivist - taking photos of the family and their many adventures and activities, as well as cataloguing the huge archive of extended family photos from the Gill and Reeves families.

Always an actor at heart, Mary was involved in many theatrical productions. She helped facilitate and act in multiple shows and events at the church, from elaborate Maundy-Thursday productions with Narm as Jesus, to plays like Too Soon for Daisies where Larry joined her on stage. The more active she became in theater, the more she became involved at the Des Moines Playhouse in productions of Noises Off and Aunt Dan and Lemon. She also appeared in some TV commercials and later became a regular cast member of the Old-Time Radio Show also produced at the Des Moines Playhouse.

Mary coupled her love of reading and her enthusiasm to teach children to good use at Cattell Elementary School (where she, her siblings, and her children all attended) as the library aide for many years. When the original Cattell School building was set to be demolished to make way for the current modern school, Mary set out to record the history of the school, ultimately completing and publishing a book entitled Cattell – The First Century. The book included many interviews of past students and faculty, an extensive catalogue of school history, and historic photos.

Mary and Narm were very active at Highland Park Christian Church in Des Moines as board members, deacons, building committee members, church historians, and in many other ways. Mary also managed the Highland Park Neighborhood Services, providing meals and activities for seniors and coordinating the meal delivery program.

Mary passed away on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the age of 86. Those left to cherish her memory are her sons, Lawrence (Maria) of Marlborough, MA, William (Debra) of Coal Valley, IL, and Russell (Monica) of Waupaca, WI; sister, Kathy (Joseph) Collins; brother-in-law, Rodney (Ann) Reeves of Galveston, TX; step-brothers, Steven (Patricia) McNaney and William (Shirley) McNaney and their families; grandchildren, Crystal (Travis) Booth, Will (Tia) Reeves, Blake Reeves, Lorne (Rachel) Reeves, Alex (Heather) Reeves, and Rebecca (Daniel) McKay; great-grandchildren, Cayley McBurney, Caleb McBurney, Paisley Reeves, Granger Reeves, River Reeves, Tilly Reeves and Scotty McKay; great-great-grandchild, Zander Osborn; many loving family members and friends.