Mary Etta Rees, of Morningside Nursing and Memory Care in South Bend, passed away at 8:25 a.m. on November 22, 2011. She was born on July 28, 1923 to Clement and Minnie Mae Presley in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her family moved to Hope, Arkansas in 1926, where her father was Asst. Postmaster. Upon graduating from Hope High School, she worked in Texas and Arkansas for the U.S. Civil Service as a secretary during WWII. She moved to South Bend in 1946, meeting Edward Rees, who worked in the Art Dept. at Studebaker. They married on April 18, 1948, and Edward preceded her in death on August 24, 2006.
Surviving are their children, Sandra Rees of Niles, MI, Thomas (Gail) Rees of Mishawaka and Nanette (Mark) Mullaney of South Bend, and their grandchildren, Lindsie Rees, Jeffrey Rees, and Aleshia Rees (Blake Bent) of Mishawaka; Daniel Mullaney (Stephanie) of Bloomington, IN; Kathryn Mullaney of St. Petersbury, FL; Michael Mullaney, Mary Mullaney and Stephen Mullaney of South Bend, and great granddaughter, Elleigh Bent, of Mishawaka.
Mary Etta worked for the University of Notre Dame for 22 years in the College of Arts and Letters, and was an avid Notre Dame fan. She was a member of Professional Secretaries International. Her greatest personal passion was playing bridge. She was a member of Indiana Bridge, and she and Edward belonged to several duplicate bridge groups. A childhood friend of Bill Clinton''s mother, she was able to meet President Clinton with several members of her family in January 2001, presenting him with a letter written by Virginia Blythe (Bill Clinton''s mother) in 1946 right after she had just lost her husband in a tragic car accident. She was pregnant with Bill at the time. Mary Etta cherished her family, especially the time spent with her husband. They truly loved each others'' company and enjoyed many travels together. She had a great sense of humor and could brighten up any room with her quick-witted comments. We want to thank you, Mom, for all the music, drama, gymnastics and dancing lessons, and for giving us the tools to succeed.
We also thank the staff at Morningside for taking such good care of our mother.
Mary Etta''s life will be honored at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 10776 McKinley Highway, Osceola on Friday, November 25. Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. with a service at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. The Reverend Mary Hubbard of First United Methodist Church, South Bend, will preside.
Memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church, 333 N. Main Street, South Bend, IN 46601.

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