Mary Louise Reavis

She was born to David Ethelridge Harrell and Lottie Louise (Morris). She was the baby of the family; she had two older brothers named Lloyd and David and her big sister was named Cleo. She grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida and loved living near the water.

Mary's father died when she was thirteen, and she and her mother moved to live in North Carolina near her brother David. Soon after, she met her future husband who was a friend of her brother's. His name was John Evelo Reavis, and while it wasn't love at first sight, over time they became friends so that when he asked her for her hand in marriage, she was thrilled to say, "Yes."

Since her husband was in the Air Force first and then the Army, they lived in many different places over the years including Canada and Germany.

In a few years, they were blessed to become the parents of five children: Ruth Renae, Rebecca Louise, John Evelo, Sylvia Dawn, and Mary Beth. They later adopted a baby boy and named him Andrew Jackson. Mary and John were godly parents who taught their children to want to do what's right according to God's will. In fact, Mary set aside time every day to study the Bible which she kept on doing until she had a stroke near the end of her life.

While her children were growing up, she was an assistant school teacher and a Bible class teacher. She also learned to sew and make clothes for her family, and she taught her daughters to be hospitable and excellent cooks.

As her children grew up and got married, Mary learned how to knit and make different crafts. She also enjoyed reading novels, and she sewed gowns for all of her eighteen grandchildren. She truly loved being a grandmother, and she was thrilled to become a great grandmother of thirty-nine great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.

There were hard times in Mary's life also such as when her husband went off to war: first to Korea and then to Vietnam. She had to care for her children and handle all the household affairs while he was gone. Her sister was the first sibling to die in her family, and her mother did pass away, and she outlived her two brothers. Also, her loving husband, John, passed away suddenly twenty-five years before she did. Also a beloved daughter and two wonderful son-in-laws passed away before she did, along with many of her friends, but Mary kept the Faith.

She was like the "Worthy Woman" of Proverbs 31: "An excellent wife, who can find? Her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her... She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue... Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also,... Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

Visitation will be held at West Resthaven Funeral Home, located at 6450 West Northern Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301, on June 20, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

The funeral service will take place at the same venue on June 21, 2025, starting at 1:00 pm.

A graveside service will follow at Resthaven Park Cemetery, 6450 W Northern Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301, on June 21, 2025, at 2:00 pm.