Obituary of Durene Reeves Gibson

Durene Reeves Gibson of Princeton, Texas, died May 14, 2018, in nearby McKinney, following an illness of several weeks. She was 91.

She is survived by her husband, Marine and Korean War veteran Rudolph R. Gibson.

Melva Durene Reeves was born June 26, 1926, to grocer Thad and Mellie (Grau) Reeves of Mount Vernon.

The 1943 Mount Vernon High School graduate worked in various Texas communities as an adult. She also spent time in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana raising four sons.

Once her family’s household was set up in a town, she searched for a good church home – one where the Bible was The Word. Besides her church life, she enjoyed the laughter and company of friends during parlor games, and took time in her later years to attend MVHS reunions and track down fellow graduates.

She possessed a dry sense of humor, a Grau family trademark, and staked out a clear moral code and manners expected from her boys. She spoke her mind without fear (and often), and would occasionally drop a letter to someone she believed had strayed too far afield. She spent hours watching TV’s Swaggart evangelical family, and contributed faithfully to continue its Pentecostalist ministry.

For a time in her midlife, she was sole provider to her three youngest offspring. Her go-it-alone grit back then kept the family intact, and the beneficiaries of her struggle will never forget her efforts.

Besides her husband of 46 years, she is survived by sons Ron Teague of Dallas; Pat (and wife Sylvia) Teague of Prosper; Len (and Susan) Teague of Tyler; and Mark (and Terry) Teague of McKinney; and 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Graveside services are set for 2 p.m. Monday, May 21, at the Gibson family plot, Mount Vernon City Cemetery.