Albert Carvell Reed

A.C. was born at home in the Scranton community. His parents were Albert Buford Reed and Bertha Loraine DeVault Reed. A.C. was an only child, and usually called by his middle name, “Carvell” so as not to confuse him with his father Albert or A.B. He lived in the Long Branch community of Eastland County, TX. Later, his parents bought a small property about 8 miles south of Cisco, TX. The property contained a “filling station”, a large garage building, and a house. There was a gas pump out front, and inside was a small store with a few grocery staples, candy, cigars, etc. Behind the house was a garden, shed, and room for the occasional calf or goats. This is where A.C. grew up.

A.C. went to 1st through 7th grade in Cisco. For 8th through 12th grades, he attended a small, boarding, church-school operated by his aunt and uncle in Milford, TX. After graduating high school from Southern Bible College, he moved back home and found work in Cisco at the Ford dealership changing oil, washing, and prepping new cars.

Soon after, he met Geneva Rich. Times were lean, and they joked that while they were “courting”, a date might consist of eating homemade sandwiches while sitting in his car in “downtown Cisco” and watching the people go by. On June 24, 1950, he married Geneva. Initially, they lived with his parents before moving to the small house in her parents’ orchard. Son, Tommy, and daughter Carolyn were born while living here.

A.C. served in the National Guard for 3 years. After a time, they sold their home and moved “to town” in Cisco.

A.C. went to work for Lone Star Gas, which led to a 42 year career with them. A.C. and the family were transferred to Fox, OK; Petrolia, TX; Abilene, TX; and finally in 1960 to Stamford, TX. A.C. and Geneva raised their family and lived in Stamford until 1995 after he retired from Lone Star Gas as a Senior Measurement Technician. At this time, they moved to Lubbock, TX to be near their daughter, Carolyn Taylor and her family.

A.C. had four grandchildren; Lindsee Taylor, Courtney Doherty and husband Ryan, Spencer Reed and wife Maggie, Katherine Hird and husband Tim. There are 6 great grandchildren; Emoree and Kynzee; Madison and Blakely; Jael and Joseph. A.C. and Geneva wanted to be called Grandmother and Grandfather. Lindsee, the first grandchild, couldn’t quite pronounce Grandfather, and it came out “Gimpy”. A.C. was proudly know for the rest of his life affectionately as Gimpy to all family members.

Particularly after they retired, AC and Geneva really enjoyed traveling. They traveled all over the US, loved cruises, and went to Europe several times. A number of years ago, they even went to China on a tour.

On June 24 of this year, AC and Geneva celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary with all their family – including all the grands and great-grands here in Lubbock. AC (Gimpy) was all about family, maybe they were his “hobby”. You can hardly find a picture of him when he’s not surrounded by a group of family. He was a quiet, loving man, but with a mischievous, quick wit and sense of humor. He wasn’t a joke or storyteller, but he could always find something funny to lighten the mood of any situation.