Obituary of Mary Ann Hilliard Reed

D.I.T ( Deaconess in training) Mary Ann Hilliard Reed of South Fallsburg went home to be with the Lord on Friday, April 24, 2020 after a courageous battle at Albany Medical Center. She was 62. She was the daughter of the late James and Christine Gibbs, born on August 14, 1957 in Charleston, SC. Known to many as Mom, Mary Ann, Sister Mary, Sister, or Peaches, she was a pillar in her community and the building block for her family. To know Mary Ann was to love her almost immediately. Much like her mother in many ways, Maryann was willing, without question, to give the shirt off of her back. She had a heart of gold and an untamed willingness to help others. Mary Ann’s will and determination was unmatched. She had the ability to bring joy to so many people without even trying. Like a ray of sunshine, with a big heart, she could lighten up any gloomy day. A gentle, calm, and kindhearted soul you’d always see her with a smile on her face. Mary Ann was as genuine as they come. She was patient and had a knack for telling things as they were. She opened her home to so many and you were sure to leave with more wisdom and encouragement than you came with. When she wasn't laughing and having a good time, Mary Ann never let the grass grow under her feet. She kept busy raising three children on her own and fostering many more, traveling, writing and directing plays, worshiping God, and most importantly being an active grandmother. The love she had for her children and grandchildren was a pure, honest love that you could see in the sparkle in her eyes. Mary Ann was a devoted member of By God's Grace Ministries in Beacon NY and loved God above everything. She would always say "God knew no limits.” Her hard work coupled with her love for God and devotion for helping people made her the perfect candidate to further her studies and become an Ordained Minister. She would been officially ordained at a ceremony in July 2020 under the leadership of Bishop Audrey E. Giles. She was beyond proud of herself for this achievement and was eager to take the next step and start putting her God given talent to work. She leaves a legacy of good deeds, memories and wisdom behind for all to remember and cherish. She will be greatly missed but never forgotten. Those who know her and whom she leaves behind will never forget her tenacity, wit, charm, grace, and undying love and caring for them. Her loved ones will reminisce in her memory, her kindness, the pictures, and the love and lust she had for life. Now that she is no longer with us, everyone will continue her legacy in honor of the life she lived. She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her devoted husband Wilbert Reed of South Fallsburg, her loving children Dennis Hilliard and his wife Donna of Woodridge, Latieva Hilliard and her fiance Joey Greene, Zaquan Hilliard and his wife Karen, her adoring grandchildren Sierra, Olivia, Sariah, and Dante Hilliard, Ashley Imperto, and Matthew Vollmer, her grandfather George Williams, her siblings James Gibbs and his wife Sheila of Queens, Patricia James and her husband Creston of Dover D.E., Marilyn Gibbs of Brooklyn, Cathy Gibbs and her husband Cornell of Brooklyn, Michael Gibbs and his wife Vonda of Brooklyn, and Zatone Gibbs and his wife Robin of Queens, Gerald Vennings of Charleston, SC, Lakieya McIntosh of Brooklyn, Jarrett Gibbs of Albany, and Jalessa Gibbs of the Bronx, her step children Latisha Reed, Cerderia Perkins and their children, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and host of friends She joins in heaven her brother Abraham 'Bernie' Gibbs. Mary Ann will be laid to rest at Rock Ridge Cemetery, Monticello, NY. Arrangements under the care of Colonial Memorial Funeral Home, for further information call 845-434-7363 or visit www.colonialfamilyfuneralhomes.com