Obituary of Mary Elizabeth Hanegraaf Reeve

Mary Elizabeth Hanegraaf Reeve; wife, mother, daughter, sister, educator, saint, angel and friend to all. Mary was born May 13, 1958 and passed home to the Lord on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Mary was elegant, beautiful, soft-spoken, patient, giving, promoting and truly an enthusiastic light for all persons.

Mary loved her Lord, her family, her students, her music, her gardening, her cooking, and gave with incredible zeal and enthusiasm to all. Mary attended various St. Paul Public Schools before attending Derham Hall where she graduated in 1976. During her high school years Mary played flute in the Cretin-Derham Band program. She went on to several colleges including Alverno in Milwaukee, (the formerly named) College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, and also Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, WI, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Kodaly music education method.

Mary served as a music educator in numerous parochial and public school districts before beginning her career music education work in classroom vocal music for St. Paul Public Schools in 1999. Mary retired from SPPS in 2018 following a successful, student-edifying and accomplished career there. She continued in piano instruction for SPPS in Community Education until August of this year.  Mary was also a choir director in a number of area Catholic parishes prior to her work in St. Paul Schools.

Mary and Scott were married July 4, 1991, making their home in southeast Minneapolis. Son Robert was born in 1992. They all had many US travels together, and also much enjoyed spending summer weekends at their Cumberland WI cabin built by Mary’s father Ted in the mid-1960s.

Mary is preceded in death by parents Ted and Mae Hanegraaf, both long-time members of St. Luke’s / St. Thomas More. She is survived by husband Scott, son Robert, and sister Margaret Hanegraaf of Sullivan, Maine.

Gifts to Minnesota Music Educators’ Association, or as preferred.