Lillie Mae Rees, 95, of Pensacola, FL passed away unexpectedly on July 1, 2015. She lived a long and loving life as a wife, mom, grandma, great grandma, mother-in-law, sister, friend, nurse, neighbor, church lady, environmentalist and matriarch. She will be missed but never forgotten, a kind and gentle soul with boundless love whose life's purpose was to respond to the needs of others. Her legacy lives in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. She was born on April 24, 1920, in Sedan, KS, the fourth of 12 children to Clarence Levi and Anna Belle Marken Cobler. After World War II, she married Frank Rees and started her family. With her husband working as a civil engineer for the Santa Fe railroad, the family moved numerous times, living in Sunflower, Lawrence, Arkansas City, Emporia and Topeka, KS; Newton, MA; Los Angeles, CA; Fort Madison, IA; Amarillo, TX and Park Forest, IL. After Frank retired in 1981, they settled in Wichita, KS, to be near grandchildren and in 1991 moved to Pensacola to be near another set of grandchildren. After her children were raised, Lillie returned to school to complete a nursing degree. In 1979, after earning a BS degree in nursing from the College of Saint Francis in Joliet, IL, she became a school nurse and later a public health nurse. Over the years, her hobbies included millinery, ceramics, needlepoint, knitting, girl scouts and doting on a dog and a succession of cats. After Frank died in 1999, she joined the First Christian Church in Pensacola where she found a new family. With the aid of family, friends, and a home helper, she enjoyed a degree of independence, living in her own home and driving her own car. She was a devout fan of the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team. Lillie will be dearly missed by her son, Jerry Rees (Sallie Veenstra) of Leawood, KS; her daughter, Janice Arbuckle (Barry) of Wichita; her daughter-in-law, Zeny Rees of Pensacola; 8 grandchildren, 6 great grandsons and her sisters, Dorothy Doty and Lucille Haines of Great Bend, KS. In addition to her parents and 8 of her 11 siblings, Lillie was predeceased by her beloved husband of 52 years, Frank Rees and her son, Douglas Rees. A Celebration of Life service was held at the First Christian Church, 6031 Goodrich Drive, Pensacola, FL, 32504 on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 10:00am with Dr. James Gazaway officiating. Additional Memorial services will be held in the Fireside Room at the 1st M. B. Church, 8000 W. 21th St., Wichita, KS at 3:00pm Saturday, August 1, 2015. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the First Christian Church, Pensacola or to the Humane Society.