Some of my favorite Summer nights as a very young adult were spent sitting outside 513 Palm Avenue with my Uncle Jimmy—quiet conversations, cigarettes in hand, talking about everything and nothing. Granpa and Granma must have been living the beach life out at Winslow or The Resort. :) 

Uncle Jimmy was a quiet guy. A strength of his really. He didn’t speak just to fill the air...when he spoke, it mattered. And when he listened, I knew he meant it. He never judged, never gossiped, and never ever made me feel like I had to be anything other than myself. In that quiet way of his, he helped teach me what unconditional love looks like. 

I’m grateful for every moment we shared, and for the truth that he mattered deeply to me...and always will. 

You are loved, Uncle Jimmy. I have and will, carry the lessons you taught me, and the way you made me feel seen, for the rest of my life.

P.S. I still have that bicycle "dash cam" I scored for you at Amazon hot bins last Summer. Which I was super stoked about until I found out you already had one. Womp womp. It will continue to sit on my laundry room shelf until I can find a good home for it.

8-9-2025
Thank you everyone who came to the graveside today and helped us remember my little brother Jimmy. Many things look different to me now.  I understand and came to love Jimmy more today.
He is resting now.  He never was black sheep.  I thank my wife Laura for her support and insight.  And I thank my sister Cathy and my brother Charles for their remarks today at the cemetery.
    It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go the house of feasting, for this is the end of all  mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.  Ecclesiastes 7.2

To Billy, Charles and Cathy, I was so sad to hear of Jimmy's passing. When Cathy called me that night, it was the last thing I expected to hear. I am comforted that he is at peace and with Aunt Sissy and Uncle Bill. What a reunion that must have been! 
Jimmy was the Thompson cousin who was the closest in age to me. I remember during my visits, he was like this quiet surfer dude. As a Jersey Girl, I thought that was kinda cool. I remember him sitting on his surfboard for hours  while I just wanted to soak up the Florida sunshine. 
Cathy said, he told her that he had a good life. Now, we can all find comfort that he has the best life with our Lord until we all see him again. Love to all. ❤️

I will surely miss my little baby brother and his tender heart and his shy half-smile.  This last group picture, though fuzzy, taken Thanksgiving 2024 is a very happy memory for all those attending.  It was a great day at Carrie & John’s - his niece’s home.  He had won the ham at a raffle at work and was extremely proud to be bringing the main dish.  Hands-down, it was the best Ham ever and a wonderful lasting family memory of a truly Blessed Thanksgiving; one I am so grateful to have spent with our Jimmy ~ brother, uncle and great-uncle.

Jimmy always worked hard for what he had.  Things did not come easy.  He never let the struggle of life get him down; he would shrug off his worries and always come back the next day ready to start again.  He enjoyed the simple things.

Jimmy spent a lot of his young teenage years with me and my friends, snorkeling and surfing and just driving around.  I bought my first car at 17, and I let him drive on a dirt road off Tropical Trail.  When I finally got him to pull over, the back wheels got stuck in the dirt.  We had to run to a friend’s house; getting a few football players to push us out.  Doing the math, I’m guess Jimmy was 12 or 13?  Not sure I was such a great influence after all – but we did have fun and enjoyed our young years together.

Jimmy loved Baseball and was a pretty good “lefty” – the photograph of him holding a state championship trophy was in Fort Myers.  That was a fun weekend and we were all super proud of Jimmy.  A major plus, we got to stay overnight in a motel, which was a rare treat for our family.

I was six years old when mom and dad brought Jimmy home from the Hospital.  From that time on, he was my little “baby” brother.  He was happy-go-lucky from the start, and was always fun to be around.  Being the youngest of four, he was often the brunt of many of our childish pranks.  No matter what the circumstance, Dad always stood up for him and made sure he was treated fairly.

My prayer for the family and friends of Jimmy Reeves is that God will give  each of you a peace that only He can give, a peace that the world cannot take away from you. Martha Ordonez

As I looked for pictures of Jimmy, I ran across this picture card that I made of Jimmy hanging out the window of a Volkswagen beetle.  Our older brother (Billy) had a chopped VW bug, which I think inspired me to make this card for Jimmy. Whenever Billy would take us for rides in his chopped bug, they were always momentous rides…. on dirt roads with no one around!  I do remember Billy meeting with a telephone pole on one of those momentous rides, thankfully we were not there, but that ended the riding adventures with our older brother.

Thinking back......  little brothers were also great for doing experiments, and Jimmy was eager to participate, especially if we dared him.  I remember one time packing Jimmy in a clothes hamper, putting a football helmet on him, and packing pillows around him, and then pushing him off the top of the bunk bed. Thankfully, we were decent packers, and Jimmy was always adventurous enough to keep it fun us, at least for me and Billy.

Jimmy, you will definitely be missed, you were sincerely loved, and we hold to the hope of seeing you again one day!

Love, your brother Charles

Jimmy went with me and my sister (Cathy) on the maiden voyage for my first vehicle, which was the Toyota Land Cruiser shown. In looking at the picture, Jimmy seemed less interested in riding in the vehicle than I was in driving it, but this vehicle took us to many great places to duck hunt and fish around Merritt Island. Jimmy loved the outdoors, and I sure enjoyed sharing that with him.

Many of my memories with my little brother Jimmy were made when we fished together. Whether we were catching trout in the Indian River, tarpon in the canals of Sykes Creek, or Redfish in Mosquito Lagoon, we always seemed to have a good time together. Jimmy always tended to out fish me wherever we went. I remember the big trout he caught under the bridge at Doc’s Bait House, and how proud he was of that fish, which he had mounted and is shown above. This was one of Jimmy’s biggest trout, which I recall was around 7 pounds. I still have never caught a trout that size, but Jimmy sure had a way for catching nice trout.

I will always hold fond childhood memories of my Uncle Jimmy from being allowed to play his Atari or Nintendo (the first ones I had ever seen) to swimming in our pool. I amusingly recall the funny birthday cards and gifts he gave me that were usually some type of prank or magic type item (which I, of course, still have)... wind up chattering teeth or a disappearing ball trick to which everyone pretended that I was really good at. 
Living in Tennessee for so long myself, after not seeing him too often or in awhile I had the recent privilege of playing the delivery role of birthday food and gift from his sister and loved how he lit up whether it was for me or due to his sister doting on him. 
He loved his family- especially his parents and siblings and always seemed eager for a family meal when his schedule allowed it. He is loved and missed.

OBITUARY

James E. Reeves

May 22, 1961 – July 8, 2025

Wylie-Baxley Funeral Home

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