Yvonne D. Means

Yvonne Delores Reese Means  was born on March 1, 1936, in Newnan, Georgia Coweta County. She was the only child of Charlie Reese, Jr., and Evelyn Perdue Reese. Growing up in Georgia Yvonne was surrounded by loving grandparents Daisy and Olen Perdue and Charlie and Emma Reese. Brother Charlie Reese III, and many cousins.

In her early years she attended Newnan Chapel United Methodist Church where her grandfather Charlie Reese was the Sunday School Superintendent. Yvonne was educated in Georgia and a 1953 graduate of Dunbar High School. She later attended Kentucky State University before visiting her Aunt and Uncle in Cleveland, Ohio where she met the love of her life Robert Means, Sr. on break from college. They were married on June 25, 1955. Together they were blessed with six children: Jeffery, Sherri, Jacqueline, Robert, Jr., Michael, and Yvette. She was a compassionate wife and loving mother that trained her children to reflect the ways of Christ.

After six children she went on to obtain her LPN nursing degree at the age of 36. Yvonne worked tirelessly as a nurse at numerous Cleveland area hospitals. She retired from the Cleveland Clinic in 1996.

She joined The Starlight Missionary Baptist Church in 1956 under the leadership of Rev. Edward D. Small, where she served faithfully as a Deaconess, and a faithful member of Sunday School Class #2. Yvonne loved Jesus and helped where she could whenever she was asked.

Yvonne was an avid reader, and her favorite book was the bible. She loved gardening, cooking, and collecting new and exciting recipes. She enjoyed traveling with her husband Robert and attending J.A.M. Family Reunions in the Summers. She was active in her community as a member of the 173rd Street Prayer Club and the 173rd Street Club in Cleveland where she resided for over 60 years.

In 1978 her eldest son developed kidney disease. Yvonne donated her kidney to her son Jeffery. As a result, Yvonne developed medical concerns requiring dialysis. While being interviewed in The Dialysis Digest she wrote these encouraging words “It hasn’t been easy but through prayer it has gotten better. Instead of treating kidney disease as my enemy. I learned to treat it as a friend. When you make a friend, you learn everything you can about them. So, I started listening more attentively to my doctors, nurse, and technicians.” Yvonne was a nurse until the end. She inspired her children and everyone she met. She was truly a Proverbs 31 Women.

Yvonne departed this life on January 30, 2023, to live eternally with her Lord.  She leaves to cherish her memory her children, Sherri Means, Jacqueline (Duane) Cox, Robert (Carolyn) Means Jr., Michael (Bettina) Means and Yvette (Robert) Hasan, bonus son Albert Rance, fifteen grandchildren: nineteen great grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Yvonne D. Means, please visit our floral store.