Nancy Lillie Reeves, 88, of Vero Beach, passed away on May 20, 2014.
She is survived by her niece, Emily Reeves Tremml (Dr. Glenn Tremml); nephew, William Reeves Tremml; and sister-in- law, Betty Reeves Bishop.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and brother, Ernest Hilliard Reeves, M.D.
Reeves was born Oct. 1, 1925 to Ernest Hilliard Reeves and Essie Chapman Reeves in Gray Court, S.C. She was valedictorian of the 1942 Gray Court Owings High School Senior Class.
In her teens, she competed in musical competitions including a state championship which provided her with a full scholarship to Furman University. She received a B.A. in both Education and Musical Education from Furman University in 1946. She attended Jacksonville College of Music and Oberlin College where she received a Masters in Music Education in 1956.
Reeves was an elementary school teacher, music teacher, and Sunday school teacher in Greenville, S.C., and Palatka, and Fort Pierce. Upon moving to Vero Beach in 1965, she taught at Lawnwood Elementary in Fort Pierce for over 20 years and was awarded “Teacher of the Year” for St. Lucie County.
She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Vero Beach and over the years taught both adult and children’s Sunday school, sang in the choir and played both the organ and piano.
She was a member Alpha Delta Kappa, the International Honor Society for Women Educators, American Association of University Women, a founder of the Vero Beach Music Club through the Florida Federation of Music Clubs and an alumni supporter of both Furman University and Oberlin College. Besides music, teaching, and philanthropy, her great love was world travel. She always said, “God made a great, big, beautiful world and I want to see it all.”
A private service will be held at the family cemetery at Rabun Creek in Gray Court, S.C.
Her niece wrote, “Thank you to the amazing caregivers at Horizon Bay, Clarebridge, and Grace Rehabilitation, her friend Alice Baker and Moreen Bosch with Music Matters, who made my Aunt Nancy’s final years happy, meaningful and musical.”