Rae Joan Rees

Rae Joan Rees (nee Schwanke), 90, passed away peacefully in Quincy, Illinois on October 22, 2025.

Rae was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the daughter of Raymond H. Schwanke and Margaret Z. (nee Billings) Schwanke and spent many happy years in Kenosha growing up near the shores of Lake Michigan. She attended Durkee Grade School, Lincoln Jr High School, and Mary D Bradford High School in Kenosha (Class of 1953). She then went on to attend Marquette University, where her courtship with her future husband, Donald Rees began on a blind date arranged by friends. After their courtship, Rae and Don married on January 7, 1956 in St. Mark's Cathedral in Milwaukee, WI. They went on to begin their married life at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, where Don was serving in the United States Air Force. They developed many long-term relationships there, and Wright-Patterson is where Don and Rae began their family. Upon discharge from the service, Rae and Don moved to Quincy, where Don was raised and they settled in at their home at 14th and Kentucky Streets. It was there that they raised their six children and the place they called home until Don's passing in 2024. They were married for 68 years. She and Don were parishioners for decades at St. Boniface Catholic Church.

After Don's passing in February of 2024, Rae resided at Curtis Creek Senior Living in Quincy. She enjoyed the new friendships created there and reuniting with some old friends there as well. Due to health reasons, she moved to Adams Pointe Assisted Living in October of 2025.

Rae wore many different hats before and after her move to Quincy. In Kenosha, she worked at Kenosha News, she was a model, and she served as a teacher's aide at a local grade school. In Quincy, she was involved in the Women's Guild and Ladies Auxiliary for many years through both Blessing Hospital and St. Mary Hospital. She was a volunteer at Blessing Hospital for many years and truly enjoyed her time volunteering on the Long-Term Care Unit when that was in existence at Blessing. She was active in the PTA at Webster School. Rae was also a Hospice volunteer when the Hospice program began in Adams County. She had been employed at Bergner's department store in the 1980's, where she exercised her creative talents making beautiful floral arrangements. In more recent years, she enjoyed seasonally decorating the hallways at Good Samaritan Home and giving her time to doing activities and providing music for residents. She and Don enjoyed setting up an elaborate Christmas village for several years at Good Samaritan to bring residents joy during the holiday season.

Rae was a musician. She was a member of the band Rag Tag for many years and enjoyed playing her Irish drum. She developed many friendships and memories through her music and enjoyed when the band would play at O'Griffs in Quincy on Wednesday nights, as well as when the band played for local events. She also thoroughly enjoyed open mic nights at One in Quincy. She was an extremely talented person and this shined through art, crafts, music, and inventive ideas. She was the life of the party and enjoyed making others laugh.

Rae enjoyed traveling and seeing new things. She particularly loved her travels to Ireland and Europe. She looked at life as one big adventure.

She was a fabulous cook and cooking for her family brought her joy. She took the greatest of pleasures in a nice piping hot cup of coffee.

Despite living in Quincy most of her life and the treasured relationships she developed there, Kenosha was always very dear to her heart. She continued to travel a few times a year to her hometown to visit with her childhood best friends. Despite living in Quincy for nearly seven decades, she always considered Kenosha her home as well.

She is survived by her children: Steve Rees and Dr. Gregg (Sandy) Rees of Quincy; Donna Rees (Russell Schleicher) of Fairview Heights, IL, Michael Rees (Marlene) of Simpsonville, SC, Duane Rees of Austin, TX; and Jennifer (Jim) Seals of Camp Point, IL. She is survived by 13 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, and 6 step-greatgrandchildren. She is also survived by families special to the hearts of her and the rest of the Rees family: The extended William Guegel family, the extended William Morrison family, and the extended Phyllis Brandt Family. She is also survived by her lifelong friends who were also family to her: Phyllis Brandt (her sister at heart), John Valaske, and Audrey Walsh, all of Kenosha.

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald Rees, her parents, her parents-in-law, her sister Marjorie Hughes, a granddaughter – Stephanie Rae Rees – in infancy, and a step-great-granddaughter – Kylee Sue Seals- in infancy.

The family would like to thank the staff of Blessing Hospice and the staff of Adams Pointe in Quincy for their compassion, care, and dignity they gave our mom in her last weeks. May God bless all of you.

Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of St. Peter. Entombment will be in Quincy Memorial Park Mausoleum. There is no visitation.

In lieu of flowers, suggested memorials may be made to Bella Ease (Quincy IL) or the Quincy Humane Society (Quincy IL) or to the University of Wisconsin Parkside Foundation in Kenosha, WI to fund the future Rae J Rees Scholarship that will be developed.