REESE, Bertha (Bea) Dolores

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Friday, December 17, 2010 Bertha "Bea" Dolores Reese died Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, at Good Samaritan Society-Prescott Village, Marley House hospice unit, in Prescott, Ariz. She was born May 12, 1920, in Loleta, Calif., the daughter of Albert and Amelia Toroni. Bea was 90 years old. Bea moved to Prescott with her husband, Thomas, from Richmond, Va., in October 1984. She was a graduate of Pacific School for Dental X-Ray Technicians and Assistants in San Francisco, Calif. Before retiring, she was employed at the Veterans Administration Dental Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif. She was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, American National Red Cross, American Legion San Francisco Women's Post #296, and a charter member of the Women's Memorial Foundation, Washington, D.C. Bea was a veteran of World War II. She served in the U.S. Navy W.A.V.E.S., Medical/Dental Corps, Sandpoint Naval Air Station in Seattle, Wash. She and the dental assistant staff members at the Dispensary Dental Clinic all were among the first contingent of W.A.V.E. volunteers to complete basic training at Hunter College in New York City. In commemoration of the occasion, then-first lady Eleanor Roosevelt honored the graduating class with a speech thanking the first contingent of volunteers. Bea is survived by her son, Christopher (Diana) Reese of St. Louis, Mo.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She is preceded in death by her husband, Thomas, in 1991; sisters Margaret, Clara, Virginia, Ida and Rose; and brothers Norman, Albert and Harold. A private service will take place at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix with Military Honors. In remembrance, the family suggests contributions to a charity of your choice. Please visit and sign Bea's guestbook at www.ruffnerwakelin.com. The Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Homes assisted the family with the arrangements. Information provided by survivors.