Victoria Josephine Reeves

Minister Victoria Josephine Reeves (née Butcher), lovingly known as Nana, was born on June 6, 1943, in Cleveland, Ohio, and went home to be with the Lord on August 29, 2025, in Ravenna, Ohio.

She was the cherished daughter of the late John L. Butcher and the late Dr. Reverend Mother Geneva Allmon Butcher. Victoria was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Willie James Reeves; her sisters, Juanita Ellis, Mary Butcher, and Barbara Weakley; and her brothers, Denorris “Sonny” Butcher, Jerry “Chico” Ellis, and Leonard Allmon.

Victoria leaves behind a legacy of faith, love, and family. She is survived by her devoted children: sons, Darnell C. Butcher, James D. Butcher, (Son-In-Love, Richard Brantley),  and daughters, Taunya R. Butcher (Leon Turner), Tanzanita V. Reeves and Sunjilee C. Morgan. She also leaves to mourn her passing her sisters, Kathy Butcher and Chris Foreman; her brother, Frank Foreman; her sister-in-law, Patricia Davis; her daughter-in-law, Yolanda Jackson; and her dear sister in Christ, Sharon Lattimer.

A woman of unwavering faith, Victoria was a devoted member of both The Divine Holiness Church, under her mother, Mother Reverend Geneva Allmon Butcher, and The New Mount Calvary Baptist Church, under the late Pastor B. J. Grant. She was also a proud member of The Eastern Star Chapter No. 573 in Cleveland, Ohio, where she lived out her values of service, strength, and compassion.

Her heart was her family. Victoria was the proud grandmother of Donte’ Butcher, William Butcher, Torian Jackson, Dominic Butcher, Jonathon Butcher, Chanelle Butcher, Brittany Owens, Christopher Butcher, Jeremy Butcher, Devan Butcher, Kie’r Lofton, Kyre Lofton, Yasminde’ Tarrance, Jerome Tarrance, Demar Tarrance, Maurice Walker, Blayre Davis, Tasia Little, Kayla Ayers, Ta’Shawnna Murray, Adrian Milbry, Adrianna Milbry, and Chrissy Jones. She was also blessed with many great-grandchildren, each one a light in her life: Jatavia, Jae’Awnna, Aubrianna, Ashawnna, Kaydence, Lailah, Donte’ Jr., Asia, Princeton, Rahsir, Ki’Roux, Kai, Leilanni, Leah, Samantha Marie Walker, Amour, Cameron, Carter, Legend, Penelope, Violet, Roman, Zah’Kari, Zamara, Sa’Oir.

Victoria’s life was one of grace, strength, and unconditional love. She touched everyone she met with her kindness, her faith, and her ability to make you feel seen and valued. Her family, friends, and church community will forever remember her as a guiding light—one who gave selflessly, loved deeply, and believed that faith was the anchor of all things.

To honor her memory, we share these words, written by her son, Darnell Butcher:

For Nana

By Darnell Butcher

Today we gather, not to mourn, but to honor a life so deeply lived. She was small in height, Yet stood tall in faith, Taller still in love, And tallest of all in the way she carried family, Like a crown upon her heart.

She was kind and fair— Until you crossed her, And then she showed you the steel That lived beneath her gentleness. She spoke her truth, Never leaving you wondering What she thought, Or how she felt.

She fed us with her words, But oh, how she fed us with her hands— Seasoned pots and sacred plates that tasted like home, Like comfort, Like love itself simmered down to its purest form.

Her house was more than four walls. It was also our refuge. It was a table always set, A light always on, A place where the hungry were fed, Where the lost were welcomed, Where the lonely became family.

The neighborhood called her “Nana,” And in that name was respect, Was love, Was belonging.

She loved without limits, Without conditions. If she claimed you as hers, You were loved completely. And in that, she taught us: Family is everything. Not just by blood, But by heart, By the way we care for one another.

So no, don’t weep in sorrow today. If you must cry, Let them be tears of joy, Tears of gratitude that we were given her— A minister of faith, A warrior of truth, A woman who carried God in her smile, And love in every breath.

We release her now, But we do not let her go. For she remains in us— In every recipe passed down, In every word of honesty spoken, In every act of kindness that demands respect in return.

Today, heaven gains what we were blessed to know. And earth, though aching, Celebrates a life So radiant, So fierce, So unforgettable.

Nana, you were everything. And you will always be everything, to us.

Services to honor her life will be held at Shorts Funeral Home in Ravenna, Ohio, with interment to follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Ravenna. Condolences and expressions of love may be sent to 6783 Henderson Rd., Ravenna, Ohio 44266.

Though our hearts are heavy, we celebrate a life well lived and a soul that has gone on to eternal rest. Victoria’s legacy will live on through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and through the countless lives she touched with her love and light.