REEVES, Riley Joe

Kingman Daily Miner, Kingman, AZ - Published on February 21, 2013 - Riley Joe Reeves passed away peacefully with his wife and daughter at his side on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, at the age of 88. Riley was born July 12, 1924, to parents Clara and John Reeves in Rifle, Colo. In 1929, his family moved to Ely, Nev. He spent the next several years in Ely. On Feb. 10, 1943, he married his lovely bride, Billie Fern Jackson, in Ely. One month later he was drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served his country during World War II. When he returned from the military, they started a family. They eagerly welcomed their first daughter, Connie Jean. Unfortunately, Connie passed away three months after her birth. Next they were blessed with another daughter, Rhonda Kay Reeves (Hart), followed by another daughter, Baby Reeves, and a son, Larry Gene. Rhonda would be their only child to survive past infancy. Rhonda was the love of their lives and together as a family they made many lasting memories. Riley was an avid outdoorsman and took his family on many adventures. They spent time gold panning, waterskiing, camping, fishing, boating and traveling across the United States and Canada. Riley was involved in mining from a young age, working in his mother's mine in Nevada and going on to have a very successful career in the mining industry. Riley's expertise in the operation and maintenance of electric shovels was highly regarded within the mining community and it resulted in his working on mining projects in the U.S. (Arizona, Nevada and California), South America and South Africa. During his time in South Africa, he trained the native people on how to operate electric shovels for their open pit mines. Over the years, he was employed by several mining and construction companies, including Isbell Construction, Bechtel Corp. and the Duval Mining Corp. Notable projects in his career included the construction of portions of I-40 and the supervision of the start-up of Duval's Mineral Park Mine. In the late 1960s, he joined the Duval Mining Corp. and oversaw their electric shovel operations in the Sahuarita, Ariz., mine until he retired in 1979. After his retirement, he and Billie moved back to Kingman to be near his daughter and her family and pursue his other passion, ranching. Riley was not idle in his retirement. One who always needed a challenge, he decided to build a summer home in New Mexico. He built the entire home with the help of his wife and his four small granddaughters! The home and the experience of building it would be the backdrop for many wonderful family memories. Riley was a man of many talents. If something was broken he could fix it. He would study the situation and then find a way to solve the problem. He was very mechanically inclined and loved working on things. He was a simple man who believed in working hard and he never took anything that he did not earn. He shared his talents with others and helped many learn a trade that enabled them to support their families. Riley is survived by his wife Billie; daughter, Rhonda (Joe) Hart; sister, Arlene Garner; granddaughters, Cari Jo (Jay) Hokanson, Trisha (Jeff) Shorter, Jodi (Curry) Wilson and Amy (Mike) Bleak; five great-granddaughters, Brittnee, Emalee, Rilee, Julia, Kylie; and five great-grandsons, Jaxon, Brock, Kason, Andre and Cole. Riley will be greatly missed by his family and friends. You made our lives much larger with your presence. Tap her light, Riley! A service for family and friends will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the LDS Rutherford Chapel, 3180 Rutherford Drive, Kingman. Interment will be at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, at the Veterans National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix.