Jewell Nadine Reel was born in Downs, KS on February 10, 1925.

Before she slipped away on May 13, 2018, our mother had lived many lives.

She was a daughter to Adam and Ora (Parson) Stegman and younger sister to Irene Hefley. (Lee, dec.).

She was wife for forty years to Francis Reel (dec); mother to Jalia, Rodney, and Stacie and mother-in-law to Ben (dec), Mary, and Greg.

Jewell was grandma to Sarah (Novotny), Adam (Jody), Ian (Julia), Maureen, Madeline, and McLaren, and Great-grandma to Levi, Myles, and Hazel. She was aunt to scores of nephews and nieces including Ed Hefley and Jane (Hefley) Kaufman who
grew up in Downs.

In addition to being a homemaker and mom, Jewell also worked briefly at KC News Distributors and Pittman Construction before becoming a tax examiner for the IRS where she spent some 20 years before retiring in 1987.

She also found time to be a Girl Scout leader and a Cub Scout den mother.

Though she had lived at John Knox Village for the past 3 years, Jewell still thought of herself as a member of St. Regis. She was a founding member of the parish and enjoyed telling stories of the parish’s early years when Mass was celebrated in a vacant paint store which was fondly referred to as the “paintshop cathedral.” She enjoyed participating in parish life as a member of a Bible Study group and was always on call to help with funeral dinners.

Jewell was always up for a good party, and was a gracious hostess. She enjoyed planning menus, cooking and trying new recipes. She made notes in cookbooks about the recipes she tried, often suggesting changes that made them tastier.
She never minded sharing her recipes but she had a special touch. None of us has yet been able to replicate her meatballs and spaghetti.

In her free time, Jewell enjoyed crafting. Name a craft and you can be sure she tried it. She especially excelled at crochet and counted cross-stitch. She also loved reading and working crossword puzzles. Our mom was a force of nature and will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Services will be held at St. John Francis Regis Church on Tuesday, May 22. Rosary and visitation from 10:00 to 11:00 with Mass at 11:00. Luncheon will follow the Mass. Interment will be in Downs, KS at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to St. Regis Church, 8941 James A. Reed Rd, Kansas City, MO 64138, or Catholic Charities of Kansas City, Mo