One of Reeves most notable quotes was "Always saddle your own horse", which Liz Smith once suggested in her gossip column was "not a bad motto, even if you are just getting into your Mercedes.
She enrolled in the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, but was forced to withdraw and get a job to help her family during the hard economic times of the Great Depression.
Reeves taught at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, where she started the "Lassos", the first girl’s drill team or pep squad which is still active.
They also managed 10,000 acres (40 km2) of ranch land owned by former President Lyndon B. Johnson where they raised sheep and cattle for more than forty years.
Reeves had suffered several injuries over the past few years of her life, including a fractured thigh that resulted from a kick by the same horse.