John Landon Reeve, IV

John Landon Reeve, IV, loving father, grandfather, brother and uncle passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, May 25, 2020. He was 79 years old.

Reeve was born to parents John Landon Reeve, III and Frances Edwards Patterson from Monkton, Maryland, on July 3, 1940. He is survived by his sister, Martha Reeve, brother and sister-in-law, Paul and Anne Reeve, daughter and son-in-law, Deonne and Harold Wollman, son and daughter-in-law, James and Casey Reeve, step-daughter and son-in-law, Holly and Dan Park, step-son and daughter-in-law, Colin and Connie Noble, step-son, Brian Noble, nephew John Reeve and nine grandchildren; Bradley Wollman, Justine Wollman, Samantha Wollman, John L. Reeve V, Caroline Reeve, Holden Park, Hadley Park, Morgan Noble and MacKenzie Noble.

Landon was fortunate to find a passion and career early in his life. He graduated from Hereford High School in Baltimore County in 1959. During high school he worked at a local nursery and later obtained his B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Maryland in 1963. After graduating college, he married his high school sweetheart, Janet W. Reeve, and they started Chapel Valley Landscape Company in 1968 in Howard County, MD. Landon is quoted in a previous article, “In 1968, we started Chapel Valley with goodwill and a prayer.” With a new green Volkswagon Bug, some land and 3 employees, Landon, his wife, talented team, and family built a company of now over 450 team members, which operates out of 7 locations in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. In May 1994, Landon’s wife, Janet, passed away from complications from Type I diabetes, which she was diagnosed with one year after their marriage. Landon was a loyal and committed husband who steadfastly cared for his wife after she received a kidney transplant, to the time of her death. They were married 33 years and had two children, Deonne Wollman and James Reeve. He re-married several years later to Lynne “Dallas” Reeve, also originally from Baltimore County, MD. They were married for 22 years until she passed in 2017 from a valiantly fought battle with lymphoma and leukemia.

Over the years, Landon’s leadership enabled Chapel Valley to complete many notable projects in the Baltimore/Washington DC metro areas including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Baltimore Inner Harbor, the National Shrine, Marriott Corporation and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, to name a few. His philosophy of doing high quality landscape work and providing “knock their socks off” customer service was a common thread throughout his career. Landon could often be heard saying, “Do the job right the first time, or don’t do it at all.”

Landon’s passion for the landscape industry never waned, as his desire was not only to build the business, but to help others build their careers. He promoted landscape professionalism locally and nationally and served as the Past-President to the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (now National Association of Landscape Professionals), the Landscape Contractor’s Association of MD, DC, VA and the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association. During his 50+ year career, he was instrumental in raising the professional standards of the industry by promoting quality workmanship, training and certifications programs and safety, to name a few. During retirement, he continued his work serving on the Boards of the American Horticultural Society and the Friends of the National Arboretum. He gave much to the industry and helped many. He started scholarships for students interested in joining the industry, donated gardens and served as a mentor to many. His kind, gentle manner enabled him to be a well-respected leader.

Of equal importance in his life was his family. He supported his children and grandchildren’s many school and extra-curricular endeavors and was proud of their many accomplishments. He enjoyed travel and took many interesting trips across the world, often related to horticulture. He was an avid University of Maryland fan and enjoyed taking his grandchildren to see the men’s lacrosse games or attend the University of Maryland’s annual Agriculture Day.

Due to state guidelines concerning the size of gatherings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to gather together to celebrate his life at this time. A memorial service will be scheduled at a future date, depending upon changes in regulations and state guidelines. The family will make further announcements when this will occur.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests that you please consider making a charitable contribution to one of the following resources:

JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION - https://www.jdrf.org/donate

AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY - https://connect.ahsgardening.org/donate

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