Mary T. (Herr) Reus

Mary Therese Reus (Herr) passed away peacefully among friends and family on December 12, 2023, after a short illness. Mary was born May 8, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio. After graduating from McAuley High School where she played soccer and forged—as she did wherever she went—a group of lifelong friends, Mary went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Marquette University, graduating in 1986. After graduation, she returned to Toledo, working as a nurse at the Medical University of Ohio in various areas before settling into her true love and calling, pediatrics.

During the course of a career spanning over thirty years, Mary cared for the most vulnerable patients in pediatric ICUs in Toledo, Rochester, Washington DC, and Baltimore, serving in several of those places as a clinical instructor for other healthcare professionals. She earned her Master of Science degree from the University of Rochester and became licensed as a Nurse Practitioner in 1997 and she and her partner Celia Bardoff, opened the first Nurse Practitioner clinic in Maryland, Watchemsprout Pediatrics, in 2011. Mary took care of people—her patients, her family, her friends—her whole life because she was truly the embodiment of loving kindness and empathy. She was devoted to her patients and their families and was always willing to answer questions and calm the nerves of anxious parents. The legacy of the children and families she helped care for is an ongoing testament to her willingness to make her corner of the world a better place.

In 2003, Mary married Hank Reus, and their son, Henry, was born in 2004. She worked devotedly for her family, and she was a proud and loving parent to Henry, always up for taking the two of them on a road trip or adventure. She loved roller coasters, especially Cedar Point, and she loved to spend time with family and friends, playing games and indulging in pointless arguments.

Mary was outspoken and tough, she worked hard, and she was funny as hell. She had your back. There was no better companion on a road trip or in a roller coaster. You knew things would be ok around Mary; in fact, you knew things were going to be great when Mary was around. She had a fantastic sense of humor and the absolute best laugh you ever heard; it was impossible not to laugh with her. It was also impossible not to feel better around Mary, and she made friends as effortlessly as breathing because she had the magic of putting people at ease and meeting them where they were. She was the model of how to live a good, kind, useful life, and her loss is a loss for all of us. There’s a little less laughter in the world without Mary T.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, William, Sr. and Joanne and her brother Bill. She is survived by her husband, Hank, her son, Henry, brothers Mike and Chris, in-laws, many nephews and nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles, and other extended family.

A celebration of Mary’s life will be held on June 29, 2024, at 11:00 at Sacred Heart Church, 90 Melrose Road, Auburn, NY. Donations may be made in Mary’s honor to Specialove, a camp for children with cancer.

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