JIMMY “JIM” MACK REAGAN

1929-2021

Jimmy “Jim” Mack Reagan died on March 4, 2021 in Houston, Texas. His family will remember and honor Jim’s legacy, including his four children, David Mack Reagan of Nederland, Texas; Martha Ellen Reagan of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Miriam

Ruth Reagan Wattenbarger and her husband, Richard Wattenbarger of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Sarah

Jean Reagan O’Dell and her husband, William O’Dell of Houston, Texas; and four grandchildren, Allison Ruth Wattenbarger, Madeleine Anne Wattenbarger, Elliot David Wattenbarger, and Clara Elizabeth Wattenbarger. Jim was preceded in death by his wife of sixty-five years, Norma Ruth Smith Reagan, on May 30, 2019.

Jim was born in Carthage, Mississippi on March 12,

1929 to Mack D. and Bonnie Jean Parkes Reagan. Jim graduated with a B.S. degree from Mississippi College in 1951 and began work at a laboratory in Jackson, Mississippi. Shortly after starting work, Jim was drafted into the army and served in Korea.

After seventeen months in Korea and having been appointed sergeant, Jim was discharged from active duty and returned to Carthage in October 1953. There, he met Norma Smith. Jim and Norma became engaged and were married in Laurel, Norma’s hometown, on April 17, 1954. Shortly thereafter, Jim attended the University of Mississippi, graduating with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. Upon graduation, Jim began a career with Texaco in Port Arthur, Texas, before moving to Houston in 1977. Jim worked at Texaco from 1958 until his retirement in 1989.

Throughout his life, Jim was known for his generosity, faithfulness, and warm personality. In the early 1970s, Jim earned his pilot’s license. He loved to fly and continued to do so until his later years. He loved to play tennis and swim with his children, build and fly radio-controlled planes, and tell jokes. Jim and Norma traveled the world extensively together after his retirement, taught Sunday school for over thirty years, and enjoyed spending time with their many friends.

We give special thanks to his caregivers--Jessica, Megan, Nusirat, and Ngozi and to his Hospice nurse, Carol for their loving attention and care.

We give thanks for his faithful life and joyful memory.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 from 5:00-7:00 pm at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery located at 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX followed by a graveside service on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 10:00 at Memorial Oaks Cemetery.