Helen Black Reeves

Helen Black Reeves, age 92, of Grants Pass, died Sunday, July 4, 2010 at Redwood Terrace.

A memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday, August 6, 2010 at Newman United Methodist Church. Private interment will be at Hawthorne Memorial Gardens. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

Memorial donations may be made to Special Olympics, c/o Steve King, 925 NE Croxton Avenue, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526.

Helen was born August 7, 1917 in Huntsville, Illinois to Clifford & Agnes (Edwards) Black. She attended one room schools in Schuyler and Adams counties in Illinois. Her family moved to Los Angeles where she attended John Adams Junior High 7th and 8th grades before returning to Illinois and graduated from Camp Point High School in 1934. In 1941 she graduated from Western Illinois State Teacher’s College (now Western Illinois State University). She also attended UCLA, University of Oregon, and Southern Oregon College. On November 6, 1946 she moved from Los Angeles to Grants Pass. From 1955 until her retirement in 1980 she taught for Three Rivers School District at Jerome Prairie Elementary School and Lincoln Savage Junior High School.

Her memberships included Newman United Methodist church, United Methodist Women, National Education Association, Oregon Education Association, Josephine County Retired Educators, Delta Kappa Gamma (Omega Chapter), Eastern Star, and American Association of University Women.

Helen especially enjoyed traveling and gardening.

Survivors include two sons, Roy L. Reeves of Lake Oswego, Oregon and Dale A. Reeves of Portland, Oregon; a daughter, A. Faye Buchheister of Reno, Nevada; a sister, Doris Dewey of Grants Pass, Oregon; a brother, Harvey E. Black of Frankford, Delaware; 7 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard L. Reeves; a granddaughter, Rebecca Reeves; and her parents.