Clifford Lee Reeves

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama on August 17, 1945. He was preceded in death by his father, Clifford Roland Reeves, and his mother, Evelyn Byrd Boorse Reeves. Lee graduated from Shades Valley High School in 1963. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama in 1966, and graduated at the top of his class at the University of Alabama Law School in 1968, where he served as an editor on the Alabama Law Review. Lee received his LLM in International Law from George Washington Law School the following year. He was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army and served in Vietnam from 1970-1971, where he was awarded the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf cluster for valor.

Lee practiced law in Birmingham, Alabama with the firm Sirote & Permutt for almost fifty years, where he served in a variety of leadership roles, including as Managing Partner. In his spare time, Lee enjoyed camping and hiking in the Sipsey Wilderness and the Grand Canyon with lifelong friends, and, in his later years, spending time with family and friends at his home in the mountains of North Carolina near Cashiers.

Lee was a man of widely varied tastes. One of his friends remarked that Lee was the only person whom he had ever known who could sing opera, smoke a cigarette, and paddle a canoe at the same time. Lee loved single malt scotch, especially when his sons purchased it. Camping trip fare included steaks grilled over the campfire as well as Oreos and sardines (sometimes one atop the other, unfortunately). All were accompanied by exuberant renditions of Buddy Holly songs and other Vietnam-era rock that Lee loved while serving at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and at the Army bases in Da Nang and Na Trang, Vietnam.

He is survived by his wife, the former Susan Reid Williams, to whom he was married for over 55 years. He is also survived by his two sons, Clifford Lee Reeves II (Mandy) of Alexandria, Virginia; and Hugh Davidson Reeves (Michelle) of Decatur, Alabama; as well as a sister, Nancy Ray (Michael) of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Lee was also the grandfather to four treasured grandchildren, William Middleton Reeves and Riley Katherine Reeves (Lee II); and Sarah Evelyn Reeves and Benjamin Hugh Reeves (Hugh). Lee was a brilliant litigator whose prodigious talent, integrity, and courtroom acumen benefitted his clients for decades. His loyalty and devotion to his friends and family remain an enduring testament to his character. He was much respected and loved and will be greatly missed by many. A family graveside service was held at Elmwood Cemetery on October 14, where Lee was buried alongside generations of his family. A memorial service will be held at Independent Presbyterian Church at a later date, to be followed by a celebration of Lee’s life at the Gardens Cafe at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials for him be given to the American Leukemia Society or to the charity of your choice. The family expresses its gratitude to staff of UAB Medical Center for their wonderful care in Lee’s final days.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.johnsridoutselmwoodchapel.com for the Reeves family.