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John Lee Reese, 85

Born Johnnie Lee Reese in Dallas, Texas, Dec. 24, 1933, to Joseph Reese and Ella Guttery. Early years were spent in little schoolin’ and much workin’ — especially as migrant workers and cotton pickers, following crops back and forth from Texas to California, usually across Route 66. It was while at a “labor” work camp in Patterson, Calif., that John decided to join the Marines in San Francisco, in October of 1952.

From that point through October 1955, Corporal John Lee Reese was one of those mighty Marines; with 19 months spent overseas, 1953 and 1954 at Base K-14 in Kimpo, Korea, with the photo reconnaissance squadron of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.

Returning to Dallas, John married Beulah “Fannie” Hurley in April of 1956; over the next 13 years they had four children, moving back to California in the mid-1960s, to Escalon and Modesto.

John got his commercial driver’s license in the early 1970s and started work for Sunrise Trucking/Spreckels Sugar out of Manteca, Calif., eventually working for Blincoe, BJJ Trucking out of Stockton, Calif., through the 1980s and 1990s, until he retired from trucking in December 1999.

John moved with family to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for his “retirement” years, and, being bored, wanted to go back to work. Soon he found the perfect job at the Coeur d’Alene Casino, where for his next 15 “retirement” years he worked full time in maintenance. John always loved working at the casino. The last couple of years he worked, he moved slower, and some of his co-workers affectionately called him Mr. Shuffles. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe treats their elders well, extending that same respect to all those old-timers who still want to keep working, and our family thanks them from the bottom of our hearts for treating John Reese so well. The Tribe gave John a retirement party in August 2016.

The last couple of years, John’s health has been declining and the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., and the Coeur d’Alene VA Clinic has been attending to his medical needs, and we thank y’all. It is with the sincerest appreciation that we thank all those beautiful souls who took such loving care of John his last eight days at the VA-CLC Hospice, we love y’all.

John Lee Reese died April 27, 2019. He was an ornery ol’ poop and a devil-dog Marine to the end, and we loved him dearly. John leaves behind three daughters: Deborah Reese Tenty (Hendrik) of Idaho, Terri Marshall Sickler (Patrick) of California and Alaura (Ella Reese) Fisher of Texas; a son, John Reese Jr. of Idaho; 10 beautiful grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren in Idaho, Texas, Oregon, California and Australia. John’s only surviving sibling, Edward, lives near Fort Worth, Texas.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Beulah, and his grandson, Keith.

Some of John’s ashes will be taken to Reilly Springs Cemetery in East Texas.

Thanks to Yates Funeral Homes in Coeur d’Alene for taking care of all the necessary arrangements.

The Reese – Tenty Family

P.O. Box 3935

Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816