Mary Jane Reed, 93, of Indianapolis, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at the Heritage House in Greensburg.
Born November 22, 1926 in Miami, Florida, she was the daughter of John Wesley Benson
and Mary Esther (Frost) Benson. She married Robert W. Reed on September 6, 1945 and
he preceded her in death on June 9, 2005.
Survivors include 4 children- Pamela J. DePrez (husband Peter) of New Castle, R. Jeffrey
Reed (wife Victoria) of Carmel, Garry L. Reed (wife Anita) of Shelbyville, Bobbi L. Conner (husband
Thomas) of Indianapolis; 4 siblings- Richard Benson (wife Evelyn) of Shelbyville, Katherine Tressler
(husband John) of Fairland, sister-in-law (Linda Benson), Ruby June Spaulding of Indianapolis, John Benson (wife Mary) of Tecumseh, Michigan; 11 grandchildren- Peter DePrez, David DePrez (Amy Sutton), Gillian DePrez Keiffner (husband John), Eric Reed (wife Julie), Sarah Brown (husband Nathan),
Abby McGuire (husband Andrew), Lori Asher (husband Brian), Dustan Reed, Rachel Hoffman
(husband Dave), Maggie Miller (husband Eric), Zachary Conner (wife Lacey); and 23 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother William Benson, and brother-in-law
Jim Spaulding.
Mary Jane lived in this area for most of her lifetime and graduated from Waldron High School in
1944, where she was Valedictorian of her senior class. She was a member of Evangelical
United Church of Christ and a member of Long Acres Extension Homemakers. She was secretary to the Jacksonville Naval Base Commander for 2 years, and also worked at the Indiana State House. She was a homemaker, a business partner in Reed Construction and co-founder of Heritage House Senior Living & Rehabilitation Centers, established in 1966. She also owned the local Holiday Inn.
Mary Jane loved babies, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, her dogs and her Lord Jesus Christ. She cherished her family and friends and would always say to them when leaving- "God bless you and keep you safe and well, always." She loved to travel around the United States, to Florida and to Europe, often with family and friends. She enjoyed photography, Broadway musicals and was an avid movie fan.
A private graveside service will be held on Tuesday at Forest Hill Cemetery with Pastor Beth Crouch
officiating. No visitation will be observed. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, after the
COVID-19 pandemic has abated.
Memorial contributions can be made to Blue River Foundation, in care of the funeral home.
Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
