Jeanette L. Reidel

Jeanette Huff Reidel was born on February 12, 1935, in Strong City, Kansas, to Howard and Alma Jeter Huff. She lived in Strong City, Topeka, and Florence, before starting school in Peabody, but moved to Matfield Green in 1948 and finished high school there. She studied business at Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia. While there she was a baton twirler in the marching band. She also played drums in the orchestra and was in a stage production. She also took night classes at U of Utah.

Howard Huff died in a car accident in 1947 and in 1948 Felix “Pete” Jackson became her step-father. Both Pete and Alma are no longer alive. In February 1954 she married Robert Reidel (also from Matfield Green) who had just graduated from Kansas State.  They have two children, Nancy Hamman in Atlanta and Juanita (Jimmie) Robinson of south Alabama and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Jeanette was a Girl Scout in Peabody, a Girl Scout leader in Utah where she took the senior girls on a camping trip to Teton Nat Park. She and 4 other leaders formed a nonprofit company to bring Little Theater to Bountiful, Utah. She was a Girl Scout consultant in Huntsville, Al and helped organize The Sperry Wives Club who brought education to children at the detention center. After moving to New Mexico she helped Robert in the pecan orchard he decided to start.

After being married Jeanette moved from Matfield to Wichita to Minneapolis, Minnesota to Bountiful, Utah to Huntsville, Al to Seattle, Washington to El Paso, Texas to Las Cruces, NM. She joined churches in each of those locations and is currently a member of Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church. Robert and Jeanette traveled to all 50 states and over 40 countries. She was able to visit Bali which she had always dreamed about because of the song Bali High.

Jeanette was preceded in death by her father; mother and step-father.

Graveside service will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, October 8, 2020, Matfield Green Cemetery, with Pastor Tim Woods officiating. Family will greet friend from 1:00 p.m. until service time at the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Paul’s Church, in care of Brown-Bennett-Alexander Funeral Home, PO Box 220 Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845.

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