Ellie Mae Rees, 86, of Concord, died Tuesday, Feb.20, 2024 at her residence.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 26 at the Evangelical Free Church in Concord with the Rev. Todd Thelen officiating. Burial will be at the Concord Cemetery in Concord. Visitation will be on Monday morning, at church, from 9 -1 1 a.m.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Laurel.
Ellie Mae Mary was born March 5, 1937 in Scribner to Ferdinand and Helen (Matejka) Kleeman. She grew up in Webster and Hooper and graduated from Hooper High School in 1955. Ellie Mae attended a semester at Wayne State Teacher’s College. She married Richard Thomas Rees on July 11, 1955 in Vermillion, South Dakota. They moved to Concord in 1963. Seven children were born to this union – Randy, Jennifer, Richard, James, Jeff, Brian and Brenda.
Ellie Mae and Richard later divorced. She remained in Concord for the rest of her life. Ellie Mae worked at Gibson, Pamida, and then Shopko in Wayne for many years. She sewed jackets for the Wayne Sporting Goods Store. Ellie Mae also worked at Wittig’s Grocery and at Walbaum’s for a while.
She was an avid sewer, quilter, loved to read, raised a garden and canned and froze her produce.
Survivors include her six children Jennifer (Tom) Lockhart of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Richard Rees of Concord, James (Peggy) Rees of Concord, Jeff (Linda) Rees of Arizona City, Arizona, Brian (Lori) Rees of Lincoln, Brenda Rewinkel of Lincoln; nine grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; and one sister Betty Bothwell of Concord.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and a son, Randal.
Pallbearers will be Richard Rees, Jim Rees, Jeff Rees, Brian Rees, Alex Barbosa-Rewinkel, Sebastian Barbosa and Koinn Rees.
