On January 21, 2025, Onalee Reeve Wood passed away peacefully in the company of her loving husband Steve, leaving behind a legacy of love, strength, trust, and service.
She was born September 26, 1945 to Perc Albert and Verda Parkin Reeve in Saginaw, Michigan. Onalee was a high energy child who loved to jump on a pogo stick and who required little sleep. A voracious reader, she spent late-night hours reading by flashlight under the covers or by nightlight at the top of the stairs. She taught herself to whistle - loudly - a skill she employed throughout her life, calling her children from the neighborhood or catching the attention of her students in the cafeteria. When her energy was too much for the household, her mother sent her to the farm with her father where she learned to work hard weeding sugar beets or the vegetable garden.
The second oldest of eight children, Onalee learned domestic skills required for childcare and motherhood. Her mother, Verda, gifted her a sewing machine for her wedding which Onalee used to create and mend. She continued to use it for good purposes throughout her life.
An excellent pianist, Onalee became the ward's Primary pianist at the age of eight, consistently practicing the Primary songs. Her first paid job was to play piano at a local dance school which paid $1 per hour- much more than the 25 cents per hour her friends earned babysitting. Throughout her life, she served as organist and accompanist for the congregation and church choirs.
Onalee graduated from Utah State University in 1967 with a teaching degree and started teaching math and English at Logan High School. In 1986, after a hiatus to raise children, she returned to teaching in New Jersey. She taught high school math for 23 years and retired in 2010. Teaching and learning were part of her character, frequently tutoring youth and adults voluntarily. She loved a good math or word game, often passing them on to others so they could also enjoy solving them. She enjoyed crosswords and Scrabble, building an extensive vocabulary through these pastimes.
Steve and Onalee served as temple ordinance workers in the Manhattan New York Temple from its dedication in 2004 until they moved to Highland in 2012. They found joy in serving in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and served a two-year mission at the BYU Family History Library.
Steve and Onalee married in 1967 in the Salt Lake Temple and raised six children. Each has excellent grammar due to the relentless coaching instruction their mother offered throughout their lives. She taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of serving others, quickly and joyfully. Her legacy is that her children know they have "no limits" because, sometimes, being honestly outspoken and tenderly overbearing is exactly what is needed. Each one has enjoyed independence and supported one another with deep love.
Her commitment to building the Kingdom of God was unwavering. She served multiple times as a Relief Society President and Primary President and often served as a teacher in both organizations. She ran the Stake Family History Library and became an Addiction Recovery Specialist. Visiting teaching and ministering were a natural fit for her service-oriented inclinations. For over 17 years she supported Steve in his church callings as bishop and stake president. For more than 20 years in New Jersey and Utah, she has been an assistant to her husband Steve who is a Stake Patriarch. Onalee gave generously to support her children and grandchildren in their mission service and education pursuits. She was especially supportive when her military son, Brian, was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The care packages she sent were a source of comfort and joy to his soldiers.
Onalee's love and example of service will be missed by all who know her. She is survived by her husband Steve, children: Stacy (Ralph) Smith, Laurie (Mark) Meldrum, Michelle Estrada (Joshua Cicon), Brian (Jodi) Wood, James Wood, Steven Wood (Heather Ballard), 28 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and siblings: Shirley Burr, Kaye Wierda, Perc Reeve, Ronda Thacker, Susan Kropp, and Amy Day. She is preceded in death by her parents Perc and Verda Reeve, a sister Sharon Reeve Alfano, son-in-law, Gustavo Adolfo Estrada, and grandson Aaron Michael Egbert.
Viewing:
Sunday, January 26, 2025 6:00 to 8:00 pm Viewing Anderson & Sons Lone Peak Chapel, 6141 West 11000 North Highland, UT 84003
Monday, January 27, 2025 9:30 to 10:30 am Highland 31st Ward 5335 West 11200 North Highland, UT 84003
Funeral services:
Monday, January 27, 2025 11:00 am MST Highland 31st Ward 5335 West 11200 North Highland, UT 84003
Interment:
Highland City Cemetery (gather near the east entrance close 6150 W. 10930 N. Highland, UT 84003
A luncheon will follow the interment at the Highland 31st Ward.
Please click the link below to watch the streaming of the funeral services.
Wood, Onalee_.mp3
Sunday, January 26, 2025
6:00 - 8:00 pm (Mountain time)
Anderson & Sons Lone Peak Chapel
Monday, January 27, 2025
9:45 - 10:45 am (Mountain time)
Highland 31st Ward
Monday, January 27, 2025
11:00am - 12:00 pm (Mountain time)
Highland 31st Ward
Monday, January 27, 2025
12:30 - 1:00 pm (Mountain time)
Highland City Cemetery
Visits: 2078
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