Kay Reeser

MORTON – Kay (Connell) Reeser, 83, of Morton, passed away on Sunday, October 17, 2021, peacefully at Reflections Memory Care in Morton.

She was born on August 13, 1938 in Pekin, Ill., to Edgar and Cecelia (Morrisey) Connell. She was the youngest of three children.

Surviving are her three children, Steve Reeser of East Peoria, Kathy (Steve) Schleyer of West Glacier, Mont., and Jeff Reeser of Groveland; one grandson, Nick Reeser of Morton; one brother, Paul Connell of Peoria; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Dick Reeser; and her brother Wayne.

Kay grew up on the family farm in Tremont. She graduated from Tremont High School in 1956. After high school, she attended Brown’s Business School in Peoria.

She worked at CILCO in the office where she met Richard “Dick” Reeser, who worked at CILCO as an electrician. They married on May 16, 1959, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton. They raised their three children in East Peoria.

After the children were older, she worked various jobs. She worked as a teller at 1st National Bank of East Peoria from 1977 until she retired from the bank in 1995.

After retiring, Kay and Dick did some traveling, including a trip to Germany, trips for Dick’s Navy reunions, trips to Branson and Florida, and travels to California to visit their daughter.

Kay and Dick enjoyed square dancing and often would travel for square dancing conferences.

Kay was active in Tazewell County Home Extension and was the treasurer for many years. She was also active in Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church Altar and Rosary, where she would help clean the church and help with funeral luncheons. She would always bring her delicious Texas sheet cake for the luncheons.

Kay and Dick moved to Brandon Wood Retirement Center in April 2017 and then to Reflections Memory Care in December 2019. Her family would like to thank the staff at Brandon Wood and Reflections, as well as Vitas Hospice.

Kay loved to bake and go for walks. She was very caring, thoughtful, generous, and kind. She will be missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 21, 2021, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton, with Msgr. Gerald Ward officiating. Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Hillcrest Memory Gardens in Morton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.knappjohnson.com.