Diane Reece passed away on Febuary 25, 2025 at the age of 82. She was a playground monitor, librarian extraordinaire and mentor/confidant/hug provider to hundreds and hundreds of students at Janesville Elementary School, great-grandma, grandma, sister, daughter, cousin, aunt, wife (of more than 60 years) to Mr. Milton Vernon Reece and simply mom to myself and my siblings Debbie Reece Pullen, Melanie Reece McAdam, and James Reece.

Anyone who knew her couldn’t help but be infected with her calm, loving, caring demeanor and passion for family. The legacy she and my dad built through starting a family of 4 children beginning in the 1960s and carried forward to today with families of their own – from the oldest daughter to the youngest great-grandchild all are great citizens in the world BECAUSE she was such a great citizen herself.

And if you really knew her, you’d know she’s already watching the latest episodes of “The Young and the Restless” on a heavenly DVR. She watched nearly every episode beginning in 1973 (40+ years!!!) – rarely forgetting to set the VHS video recorder (way back in the day) and tune the TV to the right channel – all of us kids knew not to change the channel after it was set before we left for school…or else! And even if an 80 year old isn’t great with electronics, she always figured out how to set the DVR. If you don’t do anything else today, listen one last time in her honor to the Y&R theme song.