Michael Earl Reese

Michael Earl Reese, born July 5, 1974, of Morris, Alabama, passed away on February 18, 2015 at the age of 40. A son, brother, husband and friend, Michael was known to his family as a steady presence whose life was closely connected to those he loved.

He was the son of Earl and Saundra Russell Reese and is remembered by his wife, Cindy Henderson Reese; sister Tiffany Burkes and her husband Jason; niece Jordan “June Bug” Burkes; brother-in-law Chris Henderson and his wife Jenny; and his mother-in-law Judy Self Henderson, along with many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by grandparents Jesse S. and Hazel P. Reese and James Elige and Lucy S. Russell, as well as several aunts, uncles and in‑laws.

Family gathered to honor Michael with a visitation at Ridout’s Gardendale Chapel and a funeral service followed by burial at Bethel Cemetery. Those services reflected the close bonds he shared with his community and family.

While the public record focuses on the circumstances surrounding his passing, the remembrances and arrangements chosen by his family emphasize Michael’s place in a loving circle of relatives and friends. He is remembered by those closest to him for the role he filled in their daily lives — as a son, husband, brother and uncle — and for the ordinary, meaningful connections that defined him.

Michael’s life mattered to the people who knew him best, and his memory lives on in the stories, memories and quiet moments his family and friends continue to share.