Mary Frances Reese, 94, passed away in her rural Fowler farm home early Wednesday morning, June 10, 2026.

She was born January 9, 1932 in Dodge City, Kansas to Frank and Gladys Houser.  The family lived in Dodge City, Minneola & Ashland before moving to Fowler, Kansas in 1942 where she grew up and graduated from High School.

On January 19,1951 she married Dean Reese at the Fowler First Christian Church.  They started married life in rural Fowler in a little one bedroom home that was converted from a 2-car garage, & moved about 5 years later into his folk's big farm house – a farm place they called Creekside Farm.  Mary loved hosting family & friends planning big meals, picnics and holiday gatherings.  A longtime resident of Fowler, she was a homemaker, farm wife, and a volunteer for many local organizations and her church.

In 1990 they opened the Creekside Farm Bed &Breakfast in their large multi-bedroom farmhouse.  She had wonderful stories about their 28 years welcoming local, national and international guests to their farm – including some marriages in their gazebo surrounded by Creekside Farm flowers.  For 15 of those years they had hunters that came every year from Florida to hunt pheasant and deer.  She included many of these guest stories in the book she wrote in 2022.

Along the way as life slowed down the farm work they opened a Greenhouse Flower business.  Mary always said 'Dean loved 'farming' in the greenhouse.  The farm was soon blooming with flowers and they enjoyed having people from the area come to look and buy the flowers.  They also planted a few acres of peonies – traditional pink and brilliant red – that they harvested every spring!  The peonies made the church and local cemetery beautiful.

She was a devout believer in Jesus & a longtime member of the First Christian Church.  She was an active member of the Christians Matrons who served hundreds of funeral dinners to raise money for church & parsonage upgrades.  Mary enjoyed teaching Sunday School, helping with the youth programs, and serving on the church board.

A fervent supporter of the Fowler community, she was an active member of the CCC Club a local service organization that also enjoyed getting together for a good game of cards.  She and Dean had great memories of the parade floats they & their CCC friends put together, as well as many many other Fowler projects they created.  She also served on some Meade County committees.

She is survived by her 3 sons, Randy Reese, Tim Reese, Jack Reese (Suzanne) all of rural Fowler; a sister Carol Young, Denver, CO;  7 grandchildren – Mandi Sherman, Eldorado, KS; Grant Greene, Baldwin City, KS;  Andrew Campfield, Ness City, KS; Rachel Darnell, Lees Summit, MO; Emily Gales, Radium, KS; Wyatt Reese, Fowler, KS, Jett Reese Lenexa, KS; 13 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years Dean Reese on November 24, 2018; her daughter Susan Lynette Greene on January 28, 2011, her parents, her sister Margaret Huelskamp (James), & brother Lawrence Houser.

Visitation Friday 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Fidler-Orme-Bachman Mortuary, Meade, KS.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 20, 2026, 2:30pm at Fowler Christian Church, Tom Walters officiating.

The family would welcome memorials to the Fowler Christian Church in care of the funeral home.