John Clark Reaves was born on February 3, 1933, in Tulare, California. He is the 5th born of Jesse Allen and Virginia (Virgie) Jones – Reaves.
John lived in California for a several years as a child, before the family moved back to rural Dallas County, Missouri near March, Missouri. During World War II, the family moved back to California for John’s father, Jesse to work in the shipyards.
In the late 1940’s, the family moved to Cedar County, Missouri. John graduated high school in 1950, from El Dorado Springs high school.
In 1951, John joined the Air Force as an air policeman for two years. During this time in the Air Force, John was stationed in England for six months. John came back to the family farm after he received an honorable discharge from the Air Force.
In 1953, John was working as a Pepsi delivery truck driver, delivering inventory to all the pop machines in the region. On one lucky day, John was delivering pop to the local skating rink and much to his surprise he met the new girl in town, Hazel Thompson. The attraction for each other was instant. John proposed the first sighting, but Hazel didn’t make it so easy for him. She made John chase her, which he was very persistent because he knew she was the one. He asked her every day for two weeks to marry him and finally they wed two weeks later.
John and Hazel married on July 19th, 1953, in El Dorado Springs, Missouri. John and Hazel made El Dorado Springs home till early fall and moved to Kansas City in late 1953 when John got a job as a brick mason. John was offered a job as a Police Officer for the city of El Dorado Springs and they moved back to El Dorado Springs. The next year, John and Hazel welcomed their first-born John Henry Reaves on July 6th, 1954. John started working for Owen’s Corning shortly after John Henry was born. In 1959, John and Hazel found where they would call home for the rest of their lives in Gladstone, Missouri. On September 18th, 1964, John and Hazel welcomed their second son Kevin Clark Reaves. John and Hazel were overwhelmed with joy with the completion of their family.
Over the many years of living in Gladstone, John was passionate about donating his time to others. He volunteered as a fireman for Gladstone, deputy at Clay County, deputy at Platte County, a civil defense volunteer, and Junior Chamber of Commerce where he would raise money for the poor. He was very engaged in politics and was friends with multiple senators.
John was a very dedicated and hardworking man. He worked for Frito-Lay PepsiCo for 25 years and retired in 1996. In retirement, John invested his time in farming in Pleasant Hill with his son Kevin. John enjoyed more time to read westerns and detective stories, as well as watching football and baseball. You knew better than to interrupt him during a game. He enjoyed feeding his animal friends everyday off the back porch. He loved sneaking unhealthy food while Hazel was not looking. Most importantly he loved spending time with his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and family.
John was preceded in death by his parents Jesse Allen and Virginia Jones – Reaves; brothers, James Reaves, Don Reaves, and Darrel Ray Reaves; sisters, Bernice Davis, Buella Gardner, and Delores Hicks. He is survived by wife Hazel Reaves of Gladstone, Missouri; his brother, Herbert Reaves of Los Molinos, California; his two sons, John Henry Reaves of Gladstone, Missouri and Kevin Reaves and spouse of Fort Worth, Texas; his four grandchildren, Chris Reaves and spouse of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Brittany Sams and spouse of Prairie Village, Kansas, Kathryn Bruce-Reaves of Kansas City, Missouri, and Cheyenne Reaves of Pleasant Hill, Missouri; his seven great-grandchild Emery Star, Aleyah Mitchell, Serenity Mock, Olive Reaves, Amelia Mitchell, Mark McGlothlin, and Eden Sams.
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