Melvin Reavis

Melvin and Shirley Reavis met in Kansas City, Missouri, when he stopped by to visit his brother, James, who happened to live in the same building as Shirley's grandmother. Within a few months, they were married. Melvin was sent to Fort Lewis, Colorado, only days after the wedding. From there, he was deployed to Korea.
Melvin was proud of his time serving in the Army. Until the very end, you saw him in his various caps displaying his pride as a veteran.
Melvin loved to help people. Everyone always mentions how thoughtful and considerate he was to them in their time of need. He tried to always give strangers a compliment. He said that they might be having a terrible day, but a smile and a kind word could turn that around. If someone told him to have a good day, he wished them an even better one.
Melvin spent much of his adult life driving a truck. When his grandchildren were younger, they all thought 18-wheelers were called PaPa trucks. That may have been his job, but it wasn't his passion. He served as a volunteer with the Sabinal Volunteer Fire Department during his younger days. He made the best brisket for miles around and music was his life. There have been certain briskets that ended up being talked about decades later.
Melvin had no hearing in his right ear and very little in his left ear even with the help of a hearing aid. That didn't stop him from being a musician. Melvin never learned to read music. He said he went by what he heard in his head. He said he could hear it exactly as it played on the radio. He taught himself to play the harmonica and the dulcimer.
Melvin and Shirley spent over 40 years in their home in Sabinal. They moved into a facility in Boerne to be near their daughter, Polly, and her husband, John, so that she could watch over their care. Melvin missed his home less because of family that visited often. He especially loved the visits from his grandson, Scott, because he would bring Melvin's great-granddaughters, Ashley and Emma. Their laughter and energy filled the facility and brought joy to the other residents as well as Melvin and Shirley. That made Melvin extremely proud. Everyone that encountered Melvin at the facility or at the VA commented on how sweet he was with a very positive attitude and great sense of humor despite being in the late stage of Parkinson's. It was those visits from family along with sharing a room with the love of his life that kept his spirits up and made him miss his home in Sabinal less. Like they say, home is where the heart is.
Melvin Chester Reavis of Boerne, formerly of Utopia and Sabinal, passed away on January 18, 2019 in Boerne at the age of 85. He was born on December 8, 1933 in Utopia, Texas to Drew and Gertrude (Cornelius) Reavis. He married Shirley Belle McDowell in Lee Summit, Missouri on July 21, 1955.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years of Boerne; daughters, Ellen Milam of Ingram, Elaine Clark of Sonora, Evelyn Reavis of San Marcos, Patty Gadaria of Dallas, and Polly Robinson with her husband, John, of Boerne; grandchildren, John Milam, Jack Milam, Angela Prater, Matt Clark, Joshela Clark Quiroz, Derek Slater, Scott Reavis, Nick Martin, and Cory Gadaria; sisters, Clola Wilson of New Braunfels and Mary Lou Snow of Utopia; 7 great-grandchildren, and numerous nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, James Reavis, and sister, Clara Clark.
A graveside service will be held on January 25, 2019 at 2:00 pm at Waresville Cemetery in Utopia. Visitation will be graveside as well beginning at 1:00 pm on January 25, 2019 at Waresville Cemetery.

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