Juanita (Nelson) Rees

Juanita Rees, 82, of Cape Girardeau, passed away Thursday, December 3, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

She was born April 29, 1938, in Peppertown, Arkansas, to Robert and Novella Neal Nelson.  She attended Holcomb High School.  She and Donald Rees were married December 24, 1955, in Hernando, Mississippi.  Three children were born to their union, Doug, Danny, and Penny. 

Juanita took great pride in being a homemaker and caring for her family. After the children were old enough to go to school, she earned her cosmetology license and operated a beauty shop in their home.  She later transitioned into her husband’s barber shop, Rees Family Barber and Beauty Shop in Jackson. Juanita was a trendsetter and possibly the first woman to cut men's hair in Jackson! Don trained to be a barber while serving in the U.S. Navy. Both shared their careers in the barber and beauty business for over 50 years in Jackson. After Juanita retired, she volunteered at the Lutheran Home and enjoyed helping the residents with haircare. 

For Juanita, it was always “family first”.  She never met a stranger and enjoyed meeting and making new friends.  She and Don attended Cape County Cowboy Church and previously attended Fruitland Methodist Church. Juanita had a special gift for making people feel welcome.  Often on holidays, there would be guests meeting for the first time. She had the gift of adding a pinch of this and that, making it hard to top her southern roots cooking.  None of us can perfect her ham or roast beef recipe. It must have been her "love" as the secret ingredient! Chocolate gravy was her specialty served over fried hot biscuits. Juanita simply radiated youthful happiness and loved all!  She never got old at heart.  It was such a joy to watch her interact with her grandchildren. She put up with a few of their shenanigans but was always teaching them to be better people. Juanita shined brighter than a star and will be very missed!

Loving survivors include her husband of 65 years, Donald Rees of Cape Girardeau; three children, Doug (Carol) Rees of Jackson, Danny (Colleen) Rees, and Penny Rees of Cape Girardeau; 10 grandchildren, Chris (Wendy) Jauch, Cara (Brandon) Raines, Tyson (Emily) Rees, Dustin (Michelle) Rees, Tyler (Caitlin) Rees, Kyle (Amanda) Rees, Erika (Zach) Rice, Kelly Beasley-Dunlap and husband Alex, Amy Baker (Jerry), and Aaron Glueck (Emily); 22 great-grandchildren; a great-great grandson; a great-great-granddaughter expected in March; and eight siblings, Hope (Chester) Schuerman, Patty (the late James “Windy”) Burton,  Richard (Charlotte) Nelson, Pam Heard, David (“Nita”) Nelson, Tim (Lewonna) Nelson, Jimmy (Pam) Nelson, and Diane (Mark) Ellison.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two adult sisters, Nancy (Eudell) Robinson and Linda (Wakefield) Shaw; a young brother, Bobby Nelson; an infant sibling; and a son-in-law, Stephen "Herbie" Glueck.

Juanita’s family will honor her with a private service on Saturday, December 12, 2020, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.  Later, when the threat of covid virus has passed, the family plans to announce a gathering to celebrate Juanita’s life.

Juanita faithfully donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  Please consider this charity if making a memorial contribution.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by clicking on the Tribute Wall tab of Juanita’s personal obituary page.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Juanita (Nelson) Rees, please visit our floral store.