J.W. is survived by his daughter, Cynthia Lee Herring; son, Keith Reed; son, Kelly Reed; daughter-in-law, Shanna Coleman-Reed and grandchildren, Henry Reed, Daniel Reed, and Katherine Reed; brother, Bobby Rex Herring and sister-in-law Candy Herring; sisters-in-law, Barbara Kennedy Herring, Judy Michael Herring, and Reva Perry; and multiple generations of a large and loving family.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Margie Eulene Laing Killion and second wife, Ruth Eileen Reed Herring; grandson, Sean Reed; parents, Vernard Laverne Herring and Lois Lee Powers Herring; siblings, Vernard Laverne Herring Jr, Johnny Lynn Herring, Tommy Neal Herring, Ira Sue Collington, and Betty Lou Lewis.
J.W. grew up in Tipton, Oklahoma with his family, living and working on local farms. He worked hard his entire life, as a grocery clerk, cafeteria server, movie theater concession operator, bank clerk, traveling bible salesman, painter of girders on overpasses, and more! J.W. even completed the instructor course for the Arthur Murray Dance Studios.
He served in the United States Marine Corps in peacetime from 1958 to 1960 and was stationed at Camp Pendleton California, Camp Mercy Okinawa, and Camp Lejeune Rifle Range North Carolina. In Okinawa, he was designated as a security clerk working with classified material.
J.W. attended Cameron College and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in accounting. He spent his career as a CPA in public accounting starting with Arthur, Young & Co and then 26 years working for Benjamin C and Jerry A McCutchin Sr in business ranging from oil and gas, cattle and horse farms, undeveloped real estate, stock market investing, and rock quarry mining.
J.W. was fiercely loyal to his family and friends and helped a lot of people. He always had a story to tell and enjoyed keeping up with family genealogy. J.W. grew up in the Methodist Church and maintained his faith his entire life. He enjoyed calf-roping when he was younger and owned horses over the years.
There will be a Celebration of Life gathering to honor J.W. from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on 12 October 2024, at the Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home located at 7405 West Northwest Highway in Dallas, Texas 75225. An additional Celebration of Life gathering will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. of 18 October 2024, at the Jackson Funeral Home located at 921 West Gladstone Avenue in Frederick, Oklahoma 73542. A graveside service to lay J.W. to rest will be at the Tipton Cemetery in Tipton, Oklahoma, the following day, 19 October 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
We are not in need of a lot of additional flower arrangements since the gatherings will be more informal, but you can donate to your own favorite charity in J.W.'s memory or to one he donated to: St. Jude, Wounded Warrior, Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, Operation Smile, Shriners Hospitals for Children, North Texas Food Bank and the ASPCA.
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