As an 8-year-old, I despised ET Reves because he had the nerve to come to our house to take my sister on a date. I would walk by the door to the living room where he was waiting and stare at him to let him know he was not welcome, but no, he didn’t take the hint. I would tell Jess to just tell him she didn’t want to go. (Little did I know she was expecting him!) And then my world fell apart! He married her and I hated him even more for taking away my sister. 

Eventually he offered to let me drive his little red Chevrolet coup and I decided he might not be as evil as I had thought. 

He derived great pleasure in telling and re-telling at family gatherings over the years about his reception at my house and would imitate how I glared at him. 

In time I came to be one of his great admirers. He was always willing to lend a helping hand and delve into a project. No father loved his children or grandchildren more than ET. He took great pride in all of them. He will be sorely missed by family and friends.

As ET's sister, Grace, said once, "ET made Jessie laugh."  Some of his pranks on his favorite person could yield a stern look, but too often she couldn't keep her laughter to herself.  He loved yard work, not a favorite of mother's, and would frequently surprise her with little bouquets in a pretty vase from the yard--she would be so pleased with the gifts.  Once, in his yard work in Odessa, he wrote her name in huge letters with fertilizer across the front yard.  For weeks "JESSIE" stood out in taller, extra green grass!  She would just shake her head and smile.
 

This is the first April Fool's Day I cannot wish Uncle E.T.  happy birthday.  It always seemed better to send a card rather than call on his birthday, hoping the card would arrive early.  We miss his great sense of humor, his big hugs, and his love of Aunt Jess always apparent in word and deed, but we have wonderful memories for which we are thankful.  He's probably having the biggest birthday celebration ever in heaven today.  Let us rejoice that we know he is with our Maker and Redeemer.

When my mother knew she was dying from cancer in 2007, Daddy promised her and us that he would not be ornery--that he would not be a problem for us. She was already worried about his memory and wanted him to move into the Villa, a retirement community in Schulenburg. A couple of days before she died, he and I went over for a look. We sat on the breezeway talking for quite a while. It was a tough call for him, but he signed a lease. It was such a gift to her and a sign of his commitment to honor his promise to her. 

To our amazement, because he was very strong-willed and saw himself as invincible, he kept that promise. Even as Alzheimer's ravaged his mind, he remained kind, thoughtful, and gracious; even with many telling him what to do, he voiced his appreciation for the help; even when desperate to get his truck back, he was apologetic, not hateful, when he matter-of-factly informed us that he was going to have to get the law involved! (There were times when my sister and I each fielded up to 13 calls a day about his vehicles because he could not remember talking to us a few minutes before.)