Duane Calvin Reese

Mr. Reese was from Mansfield, Ohio. He was a veteran of WW II and devoted his entire working career to the ophthalmic eyewear industry. He was actively involved in developing the family business, Reese Optical Company, into one of the largest independently owned laboratories in the country. That business was sold to Bausch & Lomb in 1969, at which time Reese joined B & L as Vice President of their Ophthalmic Laboratory Division. Later, he relocated to Atlanta and after a brief retirement, he acquired an optical laboratory, Vision Optics. That company was later sold and in 1984 he formed Optical Services International, a group of independent laboratories located throughout the United States and Canada. The company is now managed by his daughter, Dana Reese Weeks.

Mr. Reese was actively involved as an officer or director in a number of industry associations, including The Better Vision Institute, the Optical Laboratory Association, The Optical Wholesalers Association. He also served for several years on the board of directors for the Richland Trust Bank in Mansfield, Ohio, and the board of directors at Westbrook Country Club, Mansfield, Ohio and The Atlanta Country Club. In 2001, he was chosen as a member of the Optical Laboratory Hall of fame. Mr. Reese was a committed Christian and a member of the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

Mr. Reese is survived by his beloved wife, Etabel. They were both born on February 5th, 1925 in Mansfield. They met when they were 16 and were married on their 21st birthdays, when he returned home from the service. They would have celebrated their 69th anniversary this year. Their love and devotion were evident to everyone who met them.

Mr. Reese is survived by his daughters, Debbie Reese Rossi and Dana Reese Weeks. He has 4 grandchildren, Andrew Rossi, Nathan (Brielle) Rossi, Amelia Rossi and Hunter (Robbie) Weeks and three great granddaughters. Mr. Reese was preceded in death by his only son, Duane, Jr. (Chip), his sister, Marion Chatlain and his parents, Evelyn & Clarence Reese.

A Memorial Service celebrating the life of Duane Reese will be held in the Chapel at the Roswell Funeral Home, 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, Georgia 30076, on Tuesday February 3 at 11:00. The family will receive friends at the Chapel one hour prior to the service.

The family requests that those who would like to make a memorial donation in lieu of flowers do so to the American Heart Association or Longleaf Hospice, 2712 Lawrenceville Hwy, Suite 200, Decatur, Georgia.