Benjamin Earl Reaves' Obituary
REAVES, BENJAMIN EARL Earl, a loving husband and father of three children, grandfather of five passed away on 19th September 2008 at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. The retired financial officer of Dresser Industries made his home in Dallas, TX for all of his adult life. Born in Caddo Mills, TX, Earl was the son of Benjamin Lebraski Reaves and Mattie Lorene (Vann) Reaves. Upon graduation from high school in Rhome, TX, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following training in the Great Lakes, he served in the medical corps on Mare Island in San Francisco until receiving his honorable discharge from the military on the 6th May 1946. While studying accounting at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Earl became acquainted with Alice Margaret Louise Luttring. They married on June 30, 1950. The couple was destined to share a lifetime of bliss, with them actually working together at a CPA company in the early years of their marriage and then running their own accounting business for 17 years. In 1955, Earl went to work as a controller for Security Engineering, a division of Dresser Industries and then went to Corporate Headquarters in Dallas, TX. Over the years, he traveled internationally, supporting the company’s acquisitions across the globe. When he retired in 1988, he was Director, Office Administration and Procurement. He then went on to get his Real Estate License, his certification as a Property Tax Consultant and owned Omni Tax Service until 1998. Earl had been active in the Lion’s Club, Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, United Way, and the Texas Association of Property Tax Professionals. As an elder of a Fellowship Christian Church, he was a scholar of both the old and new testaments of the Bible. Modest, Earl was also kind and gentle. He never could understand how people could betray others, and he never had an unkind word to say of anyone. In later years, the couple enjoyed traveling and the performing arts, as well as spending time with their children and especially the grandchildren. In addition to his wife, Earl is also survived by the couple’s three children and their families; Dr. Larry Earl Reaves and his wife Cynthia of Fort Worth, TX; Gary Duane Reaves and his wife Gwen of Coppell, TX; and Cynthia Patrice (Reaves) Rogan her husband Terence of Houston, TX; five grandchildren, Allison Louise Reaves of London, England; David Earl Reaves of Austin, TX; Gary Duane Reaves II and his wife Rebekah, of Houston, TX; John Benjamin Reaves of Denton, TX, and Andrea Marie Rogan, of Houston, TX; and three sisters, Vera Collins of Park Cities, UT; Janie Pool of Garland, TX, and Sue Ellen Carpenter of Port Orchard, WA., and numerous friends from as far away as Alaska. The family would like to express their appreciation for the lifelong friendship of Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Hernandez and Bob Ingram. Visitation will be 6:00-8:00 PM, Monday, September 22, 2008 at Restland Funeral Home. Service will be held 3:30 PM, Tuesday, September 23, 2008 in Restland Memorial Chapel. In lieu of flowers, please donate money to either the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
What’s your fondest memory of Benjamin?
What’s a lesson you learned from Benjamin?
Share a story where Benjamin's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Benjamin you’ll never forget.
How did Benjamin make you smile?