Wilma Jean Reidel

Wilma Jean Reidel, 88, (née Reed) who went by Jean and would not answer to anything else, died June 16, 2026 in Orange Park, Florida. She was a former longtime resident of Lake County. 

Jean was born in Maysville, Oklahoma to Leslie Lee Reed and Alta Mae Brooks on May 8, 1938. She spent her childhood in Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas, surrounded by family and working the fields as her father was a farmer. Whatever a person learns from putting seed in the ground early enough in life, Jean learned it and never let it go. She was a plant lady down to the bone. She could tell you what a leaf needed just by looking at it and she was usually right. 

In high school, she worked at the cafeteria at the University of Oklahoma where her dad was a groundskeeper and she stayed a proud Sooner for the rest of her days, no matter how far north she got. She immensely disliked the snow each and every year she lived in Chicagoland and never planned on living in the cold that long. In nice weather, she loved to sit on her porch or her favorite chair (a $7 thrift store find!) and watch the birds and wildlife, especially the deer. 

At 60 years old, Jean bought herself a white pickup truck and she drove it with pride for many years. She was incredibly talented with a needle and thread and made most of her own and her children's clothing. She cross-stitched, crocheted and quilted, then later turned to painting with watercolors. She was a talented chef. Her granddaughters are still trying to replicate her Christmas potatoes and have failed miserably, thus far. She was a collector of things, an avid thrift store and garage sale hunter. She enjoyed gathering the family together for holidays and traveling to see "the kids." She rarely missed a play, recital, concert or graduation. She spoke her mind and gave advice to all whether you wanted it or not. 

She was married to William Reidel for 47 years. Bill was the president of Consumers Credit Union for 28 years and served on many Lake County boards. He preceded her in death, as did her son, Jeffrey Scott Paquin; her great-grandson, Logan Zelen; her grandson-in-law, John Cardiff; her parents; her cousin, Theda; and her sister, Carolyn Kahoe. 

She is survived by her children, Deborah (Thomas) Snyders of Middleburg, FL; Leslie Paquin of Lake Geneva, WI; John (Kristin) Paquin of Green Cove Springs, FL; and Wendy (Jason) Barrett; her grandchildren, Jessica (Kenneth) Zelen, Joshua Crutcher, Melissa Crutcher, Selena (Nathaniel) Lopez Negron, Shaina (Josh) Lopez, Sarai Cardiff, Bronson Baranowski, Travis Elliott, Ciara Pollard, Corey (Kayla) Huffstetler, Gabrielle Paquin, and Ethan Paquin; fifteen great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; her beloved sister, Christine Owens, of Tulsa, OK; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and other family.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at Congdon Funeral Home in Zion, IL from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. with a service beginning at at 11:00 a.m.  A graveside service and burial will follow at Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville, IL at 12:30 p.m. 

Memorial donations may be made in her honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which Jean and Bill supported for years, or to Cure Alzheimer's Fund, in the hope that no other family has to lose someone to this disease. And if a cardinal turns up at your feeder, think of Bill and Jean.