Reva McLain Money

Reva Mozelle McLain was born at home on January 20, 1938, in Spearman, TX. She was a wonderful surprise, as she was born 15 minutes after her twin sister Mona, in the middle of a dust storm. The twins grew and thrived. Reva played basketball, tennis, and clarinet in the band. She chose to play violin and studied at the Amarillo Conservatory of Arts which allowed her to audition and play for the Amarillo Symphony.

Reva graduated from Spearman High School in 1956. She was active in Future Teachers of America and 4-H. She attended, was baptized, sang in the choir and was active in CYF, at First Christian Church of Spearman. Reva attended West Texas State University in Canyon, TX for two years. She studied business, but found her true calling in teaching, after she transferred to The University of Texas at Austin. Reva graduated from UT Austin in May 1960, and took her first teaching position in Perryton, TX. She then left Texas, and went to Denver, CO where she attended Denver University and received her Masters of Education in 1962.

That same year she met and married her husband of 57 years, Ronald Kent Money. Reva spent the next 23 years in Colorado teaching in the elementary schools of both the Denver and Boulder Valley school districts. In October 1964, she gave birth to her son, James Lester Money and had a daughter, Julia Estelle Money Jones in December of 1967. In 1970, the family moved to Brighton, CO. Reva continued her teaching in the Boulder Valley School District, where she found her passion in first grade. She was loved by the community, and quickly became the most requested teacher resulting in 30 plus students per year. Reva’s teaching philosophy was to understand the whole student. Therefore she made home visits which allowed her to adjust each child’s education to meet their needs. This philosophy gained her honorable mention in the 1981 Colorado Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year Award.

In 1984, Reva and family came to Austin, TX. She finished her teaching career in first grade, at Lake Travis Elementary School and retired in 1989 after receiving the school’s Teacher of the Year Award. Upon retirement, Reva discovered her love for painting. She enjoyed both mediums of oil and porcelain. Reva was active in the Ladies Auxiliary of Gideons International, served as Treasurer of the Austin Porcelain Arts Club and was a member of the Lamplighters Sunday School Class of Austin Baptist Church.

Reva’s crowning achievement was the arrival of six grandchildren. She had “Camp Grammy” multiple times per year which meant keeping all six of them at one time. To keep up with all six grandchildren, Reva always made them matching t-shirts, capes, many dresses and wall decor. She loved to take them swimming, taught each one to read, played games and went on several vacations. Reva’s love for family is her continued legacy.

Reva is preceded in death by her husband, Ron Money; her parents, Lester & Ada McLain; her brother and sister-in-law, Don & Gwen McLain; her brother-in-law Don May; and her sister Polly McLain Harlan. Reva is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jim & Haydee Money of Austin, TX; her daughter and son-in-law, Julia & Alan Jones of Eureka, MO; her sister and brother-in-law, Mary & JL Brock of Spearman, TX; her sister Mona May of Austin, TX; all of her grandchildren: Kaitlyn Jones, Sarah Money, Braiden Jones (wife Jessica), David Money, Jordan Jones (fiancé Carlee), Mary Cathryn Jones; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Reva & Ron have supported a missionary family through YWAM Organic for several years. In lieu of flowers, Jim and Julia have asked that people support this family. As the missionaries are truly located in dangerous areas of the world, the missionary family is only identified with a number during the donation process. Online donations: http://ywamorganic.org/donate; (use “Project ID 146”) scroll down to see the donation form. Mail donations: YWAM Organic, P.O. Box 15579, Colorado Springs, CO 80935, include “Project ID #146” on your check.