Sue’s Obituary Sue Sandusky Reece, age 89, Joplin, passed away on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at National Health Care of Joplin. Sue was born December 22, 1929 in Pittsburg, Kansas, daughter of the late Thomas H. Grant and Jessie Starr Grant. She graduated from Joplin High School in 1948, and then received her degrees in English and Physical Education from Pittsburg State University.
She later went to Clarke Schools in North Hampton, Massachusetts to learn to work with the deaf and hearing impaired. She dedicated herself to her sons, being a single mom, she worked tirelessly taking care of their needs, while teaching the deaf and hearing impaired with the Neosho, Missouri, and Houston, Missouri School districts for 20 years before retiring in 1990. She then worked with Oxford Health Care, and later in private home health care working with the elderly.
She influenced many with the gift of sign language, and was an advocate of teaching this her entire adult life. She was still teaching friends and staff while at the nursing home. She was a member of St. Philips Episcopal Church of Joplin, and Church of Our Savior.
In addition to her parents, Sue was preceded in death by her first husband, Charles Chirby, who passed away in 1971, a son, Christopher Chirby who died in October of 2014, and a sister, Jane Grant Jones. Survivors include her husband, Richard K. Reece, whom she married September 10, 1999 in Joplin; six sons, Thomas Chirby of Long Beach, California, John Chirby and wife Penny of Joplin, Timothy Chirby and wife Carol of Bloomington, California, and Daniel Chirby and wife Christy Joy of Daly City, California, Bobby Reece and wife Lynda of Ocala, Florida, and David Reece and wief Vicki of Virginia Beach, Virginia; two daughters, Cindy Biggs and husband William of Ocala, Florida, and Cathy Reece also of Ocala; a nephew, David Jones and longtime companion, Michelle Corr of Norman, Oklahoma; 14 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Philips Episcopal Church with Father Frank Sierra officiating.
The family will receive friends following the service in the Parish Hall at St. Philips. Interment will be at a later date in Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the local Alzheimer’s Association, or St. Philips Episcopal Church care of Parker Mortuary.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Parker Mortuary.
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