Robert Lee Reece

Robert Lee Reece of Dallas was born September 11, 1934, in Evanston, Illinois, the son of the late Wanda H. Anask and Charles Franklin Reece. He passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at the age of 88, preceded by his brother Richard Edward Reece and sister Joanne Reece Stevenson. After graduating from Highland Park High School in 1952, Robert attended the University of Texas before serving in the US Army as a radar operator in a missile silo. After graduating from the University of Wyoming, he returned to work in the family business, Reece Supply Company. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Shirley Wilson Reece; two sons Regan Lee Reece and Eric Charles Reece (wife Laura); daughter Shirley Reece-Hughes (husband Michael); and three grandchildren, Emma Grace Reece, Prewitt and Dashiell Reece-Hughes.

Robert was a kind and generous man who watched over his family. He loved fishing on Texas’ lakes and along its Gulf Coast. He played golf and handball in his younger years and kept up his passion for seasonal dove hunting until the end of his life. Always openly curious, Robert taught himself to read Spanish and was an avid reader, enjoying everything from classical literature and poetry to history and fiction. After falling ill, Robert quoted from Dylan Thomas’s poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night,” alluding to his spirited fight and ultimate acceptance of his impending death. The family would like to thank the ICU doctors and nurses at Medical City Dallas and the staff at T. Boone Pickens Hospice and Palliative Care Center for their exceptional assistance.

Memorial services will be held at the Church of Incarnation on McKinney Ave. in Dallas on June 8, 2023, at 11 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please give to your favorite charity in Robert’s honor.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com for the Reece family.