Vera "Janie" Reeves
April 15, 1936 ~ September 2, 2011
Vera Jane “Janie” Reeves, 75, longtime Mooresville resident, died September 2, 2011. Janie was born April 15, 1936, in Hendricks County, to the late George and Martha (Simpson) Robinson.
Janie graduated from Fillmore High School in 1954 and also attended Indiana Business College. She worked as a bookkeeper for various automobile dealerships in Indianapolis. Janie was a faithful member of The Church at Mt. Gilead and a 50-year member of the Mooresville Order of the Eastern Star.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Farrell Robinson.
Survivors include her husband, Ralph Reeves, to whom she was united in marriage January 13, 1956; daughter, Devota “Dodie” Sheffield (Phillip) of Indianapolis.
The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 6, 2011, at the Carlisle – Branson Funeral Service & Crematory, Mooresville, with calling there from 4 to 8 p.m., Monday, September 5, 4 to 8 p.m. The Eastern Star service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Rev. Jeff Faull will officiate, and burial will be in Stilesville Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the church. Visit www.carlislebranson.com to share a favorite memory or to sign the online guest registry.
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Janie was like a second mother to me. I grew up running in and out of her house with my best friend, Dodie. I remember one rainy day, she sat down and taught me to play ‘Oh Damn’ only since we were kids, it was changed to ‘Oh Darn’. I remember being bemused that a lady as old as my mom was driving a hot yellow Mustang, and she liked to drive it fast! She seemed to always see the fun in things. Dodie once had a Christmas where everything she received had a Smiley Face on it. That was so Janie. Even when she was not well, she always greeted me with a smile and for years I have enjoyed an enthusastic and loving hug every Sunday. She always made me feel like I mattered. She has been a fixture in my life since I was seven and I’m not sure how I am going to face a Sunday without her. She will be very much missed and I am so sorry Ralph, Dodie and Phillip.
I think I was Ralph’s best man at his and Janie’s wedding, my memory is vague on this though, although I remember being there and protecting their car from being ‘vandalized’ by friends. I think that the worst thing that happened was rocks in the wheel covers! Since Ralph was my best friend, I was now alone socially. Janie took me in however and I was welcomed regularly in their small apartment on the south side of Indianapolis at the area then known as ‘Fountainsquare’. During this time she was constantly wanting me to meet her friend Devota, but I always came up with an excuse. She didn’t give up however and one rainy Monday night Ralph called and wanted me to go with them to the north side of Indianapolis to ‘pick up their laundry’ from a laundromat. I couldn’t imagine why they wanted me to go with them to pick up laundry, but decided to humor them and go. After we picked up the laundry we started back south and then Ralph turned west on a side street. I asked ‘where are you going’, since this wasn’t the way back home and Janie said ‘we just have another place to go’. I immediately smelled a rat, so to speak. Then we stopped at a nice looking place that was a ‘home away from home’ for girls working in the city.. Guess who lived there? Right, Devota!! And that is how I met my wife of 54 years and it is all Janie and Ralph’s fault. Well, mostly Janie’s! We have stayed in touch all of these years and were glad to have them at our 50th wedding anniversary. We are proud to call them our friends. We love you both and will miss Janie very much. Our condolences to all of the family. Jim