Mildred Yvonne Reeves

Mildred Yvonne Wilkes Reeves of Rutledge, GA, died peacefully at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital in Athens, GA, early on Friday morning, January 30, 2026, two days after her 88th birthday with family by her side. Born in Atlanta, GA, on January 28, 1938, she was the daughter of Allen Robert Wilkes and Nola Frances Lackey Wilkes. She lived in downtown Atlanta as a small child, and grew up in Stone Mountain, GA. She attended Stone Mountain High School, where she played softball and basketball, was on the drill team and a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). There she met the love of her life, Horace “Punchy” Reeves. They married on January 14, 1954, and they have three daughters. She was a member of East Newton Baptist Church in Covington, GA. Yvonne excelled in sports in high school, and later played competitive softball as a slow pitch pitcher, coached by her loving husband Horace. She was a self-taught award-winning pitcher, having transitioned from fast pitch to slow pitch. As a child, she played with boys in the neighborhood, as opposed to little league due to living in the country. She was selected to the World Team three times, and was inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame in 1990 in a ceremony in Macon, GA. Her career record was 925 wins and 135 losses. She once pitched 28 consecutive scoreless innings in the Georgia Recreation Department’s Georgia State Tournament. She was also an accomplished business professional, having worked for several banks throughout her career, as well as the federal government’s Resolution Trust (RTC) Department. She was an officer at Decatur Federal Savings & Loan prior to moving to Rutledge, GA. Following Horace’s retirement from Kraft Foods, they moved to Rutledge, where Yvonne continued to work and was employed by Lake Oconee Community Bank as a loan officer. She continued to work well into her 70s, and finally retired at age 72. Yvonne was a Christian in the true sense of the word. She taught Sunday School, assisted Horace with numerous cantatas he conducted as Music Director at several churches throughout his life, led children’s choirs, was a member of Women’s Missionary Union (WMU), and spearheaded the ministry to shut-ins at her church, visiting and delivering food and gifts to those who were unable to attend church or drive. She organized and cooked for the annual family reunions year after year. She loved hosting family events, as well as family and friends in their home. Yvonne was a loving, caring wife to Horace. They were married 67 years at the time of Horace’s death. She loved doting after her sweetheart, cooking for him and the family, taking trips to the North Georgia mountains, fishing and spending time with her family, particularly her grandchildren and great grandchildren. In 2021, she suffered a debilitating stroke, which left her requiring the assistance of a cane, and later a walker. Despite this challenge, she lived alone and independently until she passed. She was a proud, yet selfless woman. Even in her last days, she was concerned about her family and others, not herself. Yvonne is survived by three daughters, Vickie Reeves Jenkins (Lloyd), Terry Yvonne Reeves and Tammy Reeves Deraney (Joseph), and grandchildren Phillip Juhan (Barbara), Shannon Juhan (Jamy), Justin Hendrix (Toni), Stephen Reeves Hendrix, Briana Raines (Pat), Brandi Holcombe and Candace Higgins (Justin Voss), as well as several step grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, husband Horace Eugene Reeves, and brothers Allen Robert Wilkes, Jr. and James Edward Wilkes. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at East Newton Baptist Church, 11290 US 278, Covington, GA 30014. The family will receive visitors immediately following the service in the church fellowship hall. Light refreshments will be served. The family is receiving flowers and/or donations to East Newton Baptist Church or the American Heart Association.