Mary M. Reiland

Mary Margaret Reiland, age 82, of Savanna, IL, passed away Friday, June 27, 2025, at Allure of Mt. Carroll. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Savanna. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 PM on Wednesday, July 2, and one hour before the Mass in Antl Hall at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, there will be a Rosary Service at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Mary was born on January 24, 1943, in Woolstock, Iowa, the daughter of Emile and Faye (Yoder) Hanus. She is a 1960 graduate of Clarion High School and began her professional career in banking at the First State Bank of Webster City. On January 8, 1966, she married Ron Reiland, wearing the wedding gown she made herself. They celebrated 56 years of marriage before Ron’s passing, and they served as beautiful witnesses to the sacrament of marriage for their family and friends. They had four children, John, Ronda, Jason, and Matthew, who died in infancy.

Mary and Ron started their life in Savanna when Ron was offered a job to help start the Savanna State Bank in 1966. They purchased the Coast to Coast (later Ace) Hardware store, which they owned and operated from 1976 until their retirement in 2005. Mary was a faithful member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, where she could be found tending the gardens, working the many fundraising dinners, and attending prayer groups and Catholic Women's events. She was passionate about serving her community and did so on various boards, including the Chamber of Commerce and Timberlake Playhouse. Mary was involved in planning the inaugural Mt. Carroll Mayfest and was a longtime member of the Savanna Junior Women’s Club, being named Outstanding Club Woman for the state of Illinois.

She shared her talents with the Carroll County and Tri-County Tourism organizations, the Lions Club, Savanna Beautification in Motion, portraying Mrs. Claus for the downtown Christmas Walk, and many others during her time as a Main Street business owner and into retirement. She loved hunting and fishing and participated in many Women in the Outdoors events. Mary and Ron’s hunting and fishing adventures took them from Carroll County to remote Canada and the Black Hills, where they always made time for a game of Euchre. The combination of her love of the outdoors and her longtime Mary Kay Cosmetics business yielded some great photos with her shotgun, a deer, and perfectly manicured nails. Her family is grateful for all the wisdom she passed on about gardening, cake decorating, running a successful business, her ability to connect with people from all walks of life, and her Catholic faith.

Mary will be dearly missed by her family; John (Christine) Reiland of Fort Walton Beach, FL daughter Ronda (Matthew) Cousins of Montgomery, and Jason (Susan) Reiland of Savanna; 8 grandchildren – Brittney (Jason Parrish) Reiland and Chelsea (Shawn) Kelly, Jacob (Annie) Smith, Sophia, and Owen Cousins, Ethan, Luke and Victoria Reiland; six great-grandchildren and another due in August; brother, Eddie (Amy) Hanus, sister-in-law DeAnna Reiland, stepbrother-in-law Dick Ostercamp, and many relatives and special friends. Mary is preceded in death by her husband Ron, parents, brother Jule, stepfather Larry Moser, stepsister Barb (Moser) Ostercamp, brothers-in-law Richard, Duane, Dwight, and Timothy Reiland, sisters-in-law Sonja, Lyn, and Shirley Reiland, infant son Matthew, and her in-laws Oswald and Anna Reiland.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mary’s name to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.