Obituary of Jeanne F. Reeder

Jeanne F. Reeder, (Mrs. Vern W.), of 701 Oaknoll Drive, formerly of 716 George Street, Iowa City, died Saturday, October 9, 2004 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Graveside committal service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, November 1, 2004 at the Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, Cedar Rapids, at which time, Mrs. Reeder’s ashes will be interred next to her husband’s grave. Reverend Mark Martin from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church will officiate. Online Condolences may be sent for Jeanne’s family through our website @www.gayandciha.com. She was the daughter of Charles Andrew Funkhouser and Dhel Loofbourrow Funkhouser. Mrs. Reeder grew up in Dayton, Ohio. Her father’s people, of Swiss and English origin, came to this country in 1728; her mother’s arrived from England in 1633. Both families contributed much to their colonies and later to this nation. Charles Andrew Funkhouser practiced law in Dayton to the age of 88, and, had among his many clients, Orville Wright, of Wright Brothers’ fame. Acting as personal attorney for Mr. Wright, her father also chose the Wright patent attorneys, since Orville Wright kept on inventing for airplanes until he died in 1948. As a result of the long, legal association and friendship between these men, Mrs. Reeder owned a portion of the original Wing Fabric of the “Kitty Hawk” airplane. Her mother taught singing at Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa and later directed a women’s chorus that traveled extensively and was invited to sing at the White House. The late Katharine Funkhouser, (Mrs. Burt Dix Moore) Mrs. Reeder’s sister, directed a children’s chorus that had a similar invitation. (Every member of Mrs. Reeder’s immediate family and her husband were all extremely muscical.) On September 3, 1949, Jeanne married Vern W. Reeder in Dayton, Ohio. A native of Cedar Rapids, he died September 26, 1988. The Reeders had lived in Dayton and near Chicago. For eighteen years they were then in Dearborn, Michigan, where he was on the Ford Motor Company’s World Headquarters Finance Staff. He had received his first Business degree from The University of Iowa and later had an MBA from The University of Chicago. In spite of illness, he was credited with revitalizing for the Iowa City Rotary Clubs, the Paul Harris Fellow Program—which provides money for worthy causes. In 1976, the Reeders moved to Iowa City, when, owing to failing health, he retired. Twice a graduate of The University of Michigan, Mrs. Reeder received an M.A. in English Language and literature and had a “Concentration” in Speech as well. Other studies were done at Northwestern and Miami Universities and Earlham College. E. Merrill Root, the poet, and W. H. Auden were among her teachers. Before her marriage, she had additional training in business. She taught English at college level, and received many writing prizes. Her writing was published in various media, and she won a major Hopwood Literary Award. At Iowa City’s St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, she was ordained as an elder. Other memberships have included: The University Club, whose Writer’s Group she started in 1979; Zeta Phi Eta, national honorary Speech fraternity; Pi Lambda Theta, honorary Education fraternity; the American Association of University Women. She served as Chaplain and as Regent of Pilgrim Chapter, DAR in Iowa City and had belonged to Daughters of American Colonists. She was a Secretary for Church Women United. In Iowa City, she had been a “Rotary Anne” owing to her husband’s Rotary membership. In Dayton, she had belonged to the century-old Dayton Woman’s Literary Club, and, in Michigan, to Detroit Women Writers. She was also a member of the National Association of American Pen Women and of Rose Hill Questers. Besides her husband and parents, her sister, Katharine Elizabeth Funkhouser Moore, and an infant brother pre-deceased her. She is survived by a nephew, Charles Andrew Moore, of Kettering, Ohio, and by a niece, Karen Elizabeth Moore Dourdeville (Mrs. of Marion, Mass; nephews Brian Reeder of LaHabra, CA and Bruce Reeder of Boise, Idaho Honoring the memory of her husband, Mrs. Reeder’s will establishes: The Vern W. Reeder Memorial Scholarship, which will be managed by The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation to help those who are eager for education at colleges or universities or to assist those who have different goals and need additional schooling in trade schools or other ways. Also honoring the memories of her parents and sister, the will establishes: The Charles A., Dhel L. and Katharine Funkhouser Memorial Scholarship. This Scholarship will benefit those who have attended a Dayton, Ohio school and desire higher education at a college or university. The Scholarship will be cared for by The Dayton Foundation, 2100 Kettering Tower, Dayton, Ohio. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Jeanne’s family and her services.