Reese E. Verner

1941 - 2025

Reese E. Verner

December 5, 1941 - June 28, 2025

Nampa, Idaho - Reese E. Verner, 83, of Nampa, Idaho passed away on June 28, 2025 at his home in Nampa..

Reese was born in Phoenix, AZ, to Reese and Ellen Verner on December 5, 1941. After graduating from Scottsdale High School, Reese attended Pasadena Nazarene College, where he played basketball and earned a degree in business. Pasadena is also where he met the love of his life, Beverly McElwain. Reese and Beverly were married in August of 1962. From Pasadena, the Verners moved to Tucson, where Reese attended law school. After earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona, Reese began his legal career in his hometown of Phoenix. In 1968, Reese and Beverly moved to Nampa, where they found a community that Reese would love dearly and serve faithfully for the rest of his life. A highly respected member of the Idaho legal community, Reese was known for his honesty, empathy, and compassion. Dedicated to providing legal help to those who could not afford it, Reese was a two-time recipient of the Denise O'Donnell Day Pro Bono Award. He also received the Idaho State Bar's Professionalism Award, recognizing his steadfast commitment to ethical practice and civility in the legal profession. While the law was central to Reese's life, it was far from the only way he served others. In 1979, Reese was elected to the Idaho State Legislature, where he made an immediate impact, garnering recognition as the "outstanding freshman senator." In 1986, he was named the director of community and governmental relations for Northwest Nazarene College. In 1990, Reese took a job with his alma mater, now Point Loma Nazarene University, as the Director of Planned Giving. After three years in San Diego, Reese and Beverly returned home to Nampa, where Reese resumed his law practice until retiring in 2014.Reese's commitment to service extended well beyond his professional pursuits; he dedicated much of his time to serving his community in quiet but lasting ways. He was an active member of the Kiwanis Club and later served as its president. With the same generosity that fueled his pro bono work, Reese founded the Nampa Youth Golf Program to bring the game he loved to those with the fewest opportunities to play. He helped establish the Canyon County Mosquito Abatement District-an effort rooted in his practical concern for the well-being of his neighbors. His most important work was with Nampa First Church of the Nazarene; he and Beverly attended and served their church faithfully for more than 50 years. Reese's love for Idaho extended beyond its people. An avid outdoorsman, he took full advantage of his easy access to hunting, skiing, and fishing. He especially cherished his time in McCall, the setting for many family reunions and countless treasured memories. In fact, Reese and Beverly's affection for the Gem State proved contagious-numerous friends and relatives followed their lead and made Idaho their home. For all his accomplishments in law, public service, and community work, Reese's greatest pride-and the true center of his life-was his family. Nothing brought him more joy than Beverly, his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren, to whom he was unwavering in his devotion. Reese shared with them his deep love of the outdoors-most notably skiing, golfing, and hunting-as well as the simple pleasures of life, such as tacos, donuts, jelly beans, or anything else that could bring his loved ones together.

Reese was preceded in death by his parents, Reese and Ellen Verner. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Beverly; their four children; Reese Verner and his wife, Nita; Tracey Cook and her husband, Carey; Holly Strawn and her husband, Brent; and Chris Verner and his wife, Jamie; his two sisters, Lynda Swanson and Elizabeth (Terry) Michaelson; 14 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Thursday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, 601 16th Avenue South.

The family suggest that memorial contributions be made to Celebrate Recovery at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, 600 16th Ave. So., Nampa, Idaho 83651.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Ave. So where an online guest book is available at www.nampafuneralhome.com