E.R. "Dick" Reese

1925 - 2011

E. R. "Dick" Reese, age 86, resident of Bartlesville, left this world to be with his Lord on August 4, 2011 at his home. He will be greatly missed by family and friends as the world will not soon see a man with such a great heart and spirit.
Edwin Richard Reese was born February 10, 1925 at Parsons, Kansas to William Callaway "W.C." Reese and Nellie Mae (Hamilton) Reese. As the depression worsened, the family moved to Tyler, Texas to be with other members of the family. They moved again to Graham, Texas where Dick completed high school. Just after graduation, Dick joined the U.S. Navy where he spent the rest of the war and his youth in the South Pacific during WWII. Following his Honorable Discharge in 1946, he returned to Texas where he worked in the oil field. Dick eventually moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to be closer to his parents. While in Bartlesville, he met and married Patty J. Austin on September 21, 1954. After the wedding, the couple moved to Chicago, Illinois to try out "Big City" life, but quickly decided they preferred Bartlesville. Returning home, the Reese family secured five acres in rural Bartlesville. Dick and Patty had been married 56 years at the time of his death.
Mr. Reese worked as a firefighter and auto mechanic before finding employment with the local Phillips Petroleum Company where he worked in the Research and Development Department. He retired in 1985 and after that, he became an avid scuba diver. Also, he and Patty enjoyed touring the country on a Honda Gold Wing.
Dick had many hobbies, including camping and fishing. He also enjoyed his animals and working in the garden. He had horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs and cats (although he never purposefully had dogs or cats, he welcomed them anyway). Most of all, Dick's enjoyment came from being with his family and friends.
For those who would like to honor Dick's memory with a charitable gift, the family suggests Cherokee Children's Mission Funds, c/o Matoaka Baptist Church, 24660 N. 3940 Rd., Ochelata, OK 74051.
Dick is survived by his wife, Patty J. (Austin) Reese, of the family home; children, Timothy Lee "Tim" Reese and his wife, Janette, of Waynesboro, Georgia, Cheryl (Reese) Wheeler of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Michael Scott "Mike" Reese and his wife, Lisa, of Noel, Missouri; four grandchildren, Sam Wheeler and Ben, Seth and Kayla Reese. He was preceded in death by his parents, W.C. and Nellie Reese; two grandchildren, Justin Reese and Jessica Reese; and sister, Darlene "Dinker" Risedorph.
Visitation for Dick will be held on Sunday, August 7, 1:00-9:00 PM, with the family present from 6-8 p.m., in the Neekamp-Luginbuel Funeral Home, 710 S. Dewey Ave., Bartlesville. Services to honor Dick's life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, August 8, 2011 in the Matoaka Baptist Church, 24660 N. 3940 Rd., Ochelata. Pastor Sherman Jacquess will be the officiant. Services are under the direction of the Neekamp-Luginbuel Funeral Home. Online condolences may be left at www.honoringmemories.com.