Otilla Adelaide (Reese) Reagan (1867-1947)

REESE, REAGAN, GALLAGHER, MAXEY, SNODGRASS

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 8/26/2018 at 20:27:32

From Nevada Evening Journal December 10, 1947 (page 4)

Graveside Services For Mrs. Reagan Held on Friday

Graveside services for Otilla Adelaide Reagan, 80, widow of the late Dr. Albert B. Reagan former Maxwell resident, were held in the cemetery at Peoria on Friday afternoon with the Rev. James D. Ransom of Nevada Central Presbyterian Church officiating.

Burial was by the side of the husband who passed away in 1936.

The following account of her death on Dec. 1 was published Dec. 2 in the Provo, Utah paper.

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Mrs. Otilla Adelaine Reese Reagan, 80, became Provo's fifth and Utah's 20th traffic fatality of the year Monday when she died at 4:40 p. m. from injuries suffered Nov. 20. She was the widow of Dr. Albert B. Reagan, former member of the Brigham Young university faculty.

Mrs. Reagan, who passed her 80th birthday while in the hospital, succumbed to the effects of two broken legs, a broken arm, brain concussion, sever shock and possible internal hurts.

Services will be held at 1:30 p. m. Wednesday in the Provo Community Church, of which Mrs. Reagan was an active member, by the Rev. Edwin F. Irwin. Friends may call at the Berg mortuary tonight from 6 to 8 p. m., and Wednesday prior to the services.

Mrs. Reagan will be buried at Maxwell, Iowa.

She was born Nov. 24, 1867, in Jeffersonville, Ohio, a daughter of Francis Oliver and Sarah Hannah Gallager Reese. She received her elementary and high school education in Jeffersonville schools, and began teaching at the age of 18. For six years she served as an instructor in schools of Jeffersonville and the surrounding county and then moved to New Hamony Inc., where she taught for seven years.

Temporarily ending her teaching career, Mrs. Reagan entered Ohio State Normal college where she studied for three years. Then she spent a year studying at the state college at Bloomington, Ind.

She was married to Mr. Reagan June 15, 1902 in Bloomington. Together they entered the U. S. Indian Service and taught school at reservations in South Dakota, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota and Washington.

Coming to Utah in 1929, they served as instructors for three years at Ouray Indian reservations in eastern Utah.

In July 1932, they retired from government service and moved to Provo where Dr. Reagan became professor of entomology, anthropology and Indian culture at BYU. He died May 30, 1936.

A member of BYU university women's organization she was a life member of the Kansas Academy of Science, and has been an active member of the Provo Community church of which she was secretary of the Pilgrim's Social group. She was a member of the Utah Academy of Science Arts and Letters.

She was also an active worker in the Republican party, both in the Provo City and Utah county organizations.

Surviving are two sisters, Mrs. Martha R. Maxey, Ironton, Ohio; and Mrs. Sarah Frances R. Snodgrass, Jeffersonville, Ohio.

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Mrs. Reagan was stuck while crossing at Fifth North and second East by a taxicab driven by John L. Saxey Jr., 24, 309 North Fourth West. Saxey faces a charge of failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian as a result of the accident, and his trial is set for Dec. 15 in the city court. His attorney entered a not guilty plea for him on Nov. 26. He is not liberty on his own recognizance.