Eldon Reeves
December 25, 1933 - November 11, 2019
Eldon L. Reeves, 85, died on Monday, November 11, 2019 in
hospice care at Sunrise Senior Living in Riverside, CA.
He leaves behind two daughters: Anita Reeves Shively
(Patrick) of Clayton, NC and Holly Reeves Johnson of Riverside, CA, as well as,
five grandchildren: Logan (Kristina), Laura, and Sarah Shively and Emma and
Claire Johnson.
Eldon was born in Dodge City, KS on December 25, 1933, where
he lived among the wheat fields during the Dust Bowl era. Later, he and his
family moved to Colorado, where he graduated from Lamar Union High School
(1953) and proceeded to Colorado State University, where he earned and B.S. (1957)
and M.S (1959) in Entomology. Eldon served in the United States Air Force
(1959-1962), during which time he was stationed in Casa Blanca, Morocco, as a
medical entomologist, and later earned the rank of Captain. Eldon
continued his education at Ohio State University, where he earned a PhD in
Entomology (1966) and married Carol McKechnie (1965).
Eldon was a good and loving father, making sure his children
had all that they needed. He taught them faithfully all that he knew and
inspired them to grow in their education and to pursue the things that were
important to them.
His career and his devotion to science took him to the
University of California: Riverside, Department of Entomology, Division of
Biological Control (1965 – 1972) and later to the Riverside County Agricultural
Commissioner’s Office (1972 – 1996). He was committed to do all that he could
for those in the agricultural community. Eldon traveled to Mongolia, as a
representative of the Department of the Treasury, to share what he knew about
the use of biological control to limit pests for farmers and to safely increase
the production of food.
Eldon was a photographer. He loved to capture the beauty of
nature and the curiosities of people in his work. For many years, he was both a
student and teacher of photography, always trying to improve his craft. His
work included landscapes from ghost towns to national parks, close-ups of
flowers, insects, and birds, and shots of people in their element.
Eldon was blessed to be cared for in his later years by his
faithful daughter, Holly, and the staff at Sunrise Senior Living. The family is
grateful!
A private memorial service for family and friends will be
held at the Riverside National Cemetery on December 23, 2019.
