Alvin Reece Washington

87 years old
Funeral will be Monday, April 29, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas, with graveside service following.at Moore Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is Sunday, April 28, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Wade Family Funeral Home in Arlington.

Reece Washington passed away on Friday, April 12, 2024. He was born on October 19, 1936, to Prudie Shelton Washington and Thomas Alvin Washington in the Center Hill community in Linden, Texas. The youngest of four boys, Reece grew up among a large extended family in East Texas, until his family moved to the West Texas oilfield town of Whiteface before his 8th grade year. At Whiteface High School, Reece excelled in sports, going to the State Track Meet in the mile and mile relay and earning a football scholarship to Texas Tech University.

While proud of his athletic success, Reece would most definitely say that the best thing about Whiteface High School was meeting and falling in love with Kathy Kirkpatrick, the “new girl” who moved to town before their senior year. Just about three years later, Reece and Kathy were married on August 24, 1957.

Once married, Reece and Kathy moved to Portales, New Mexico, where Reece earned a football scholarship to pay for his tuition and housing and finished his degree at Eastern New Mexico University. Upon his graduation, the young couple moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, to begin Reece’s coaching and teaching career at Tuloso-Midway ISD.

Reece and Kathy welcomed a daughter, Reecanne, in 1961 and another daughter, Vanessa, in 1964. The family moved to Lubbock, Texas, in 1969, when Reece accepted a sales position with McGraw Hill Publishing. For two years, he worked the West Texas and New Mexico sales territory. In 1971, Reece was promoted to District Sales Manager, and Reece and Kathy moved their family to Arlington, Texas. While Reece was frequently on the road working, he made sure to attend most of his daughters’ events, often showing up unexpectedly to surprise them and then flying out first thing the next day to return to work.

Reece retired from Prentice Hall Publishing in 2002. In his retirement, he rediscovered golf and enjoyed several years as a member of the “Dew Sweepers” at Shady Valley Country Club. He and Kathy also reconnected with their very active Sunday School ABC class at Trinity Methodist Church. But their primary focus was spending time with their growing family. Reece and Kathy were extremely involved in both daughters’ families and could often be seen shuttling grandchildren around to their various activities or be found in the stands across the country and even in London, cheering on a grandchild playing football, volleyball, baseball or showing cattle.

Happily married for 62 years, Reece lost Kathy in January 2020. Reece and Kathy were the ultimate example of true love. Through the good times and the bad, they were a constant role model of what it means when two loving people become one. The strength of Reece’s love for Kathy and hers for him was the foundation upon which their family, now numbering 27 and growing, is built.

Leaning on his daughters, Reece struggled to find a way to move forward after Kathy passed. With the support of family, friends and his church, he eventually rebuilt a life where he was again his positive self. He loved spending time with his growing family and stayed busy going to UTA basketball games, dinners with friends and even a 16-day trip to the Holy Land with his best friend, Lynda Reeves, and other members of First United Methodist Church.

Reece is survived by daughter Reecanne Joeckel and husband, Dave Joeckel; daughter Vanessa Phillips and husband, Rusty Phillips, grandchildren, David Reece Joeckel and wife Kelly; Sarah Skrove and husband Kenny; Parker Reece Phillips and wife Natalie; Matt Joeckel and wife Taylor; Luke Joeckel and wife Cameron; grandson Connor Phillips and wife Walker-Ann; and eleven great-grandchildren, Randee Jo, Mary, Hank, Tillie Reece, Molly Kate, Clay, Avery, Oliver, James, Colby Reece and Charlie, with two more great-grandchildren due in the coming weeks and months.