Richard Donald "Don" Reece, 84, of Fort Worth, Texas, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2026. He was born on February 1, 1942, in Fort Worth to Gladys and R.D. Reece.

Celebration of Life will be held on June 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of White Settlement.

Visitation will be one hour before the service.

In lieu of flowers the family respectfully request to please make a donation to a charity of your choice or to the First Baptist Church of White Settlement.

For those who are unable to attend, the memorial service will be live-streamed on The First Baptist Church White Settlement Facebook page at facebook.com/FirstBaptistW-STX/.

Don graduated from Brewer High School in 1960 and attended Weatherford College before graduating from the University of Corpus Christi with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Marine Biology in 1966. It was in Corpus Christi where his passion for SCUBA and the Big Blue was ignited. After graduation, he taught at Monnig Middle School for 3 years. Don then opened Scuba School of Fort Worth which he ran alongside his college sweetheart Bessie. Don taught many generations to SCUBA dive. After more than five decades of business, he and Bessie decided to retire in 2020 to spend more time with family and go traveling.

Don will be remembered for generous spirit, strength to persevere. If you asked Don how he was doing, invariably the answer was "I'm awesome", and he was. His true calling in life was being a teacher, which he did every day of his life. Whether it was middle schoolers, divers, members of his Sunday school class, friends or family, he was driven to share his knowledge, wisdom and philosophy to make the world a better place for others.

He enjoyed rooting for his Brewer Bears football team, watching college football, teaching Sunday School and sending positive and encouraging thoughts to friends and family.

Don is survived by wife, Bessie; children, Kelley Reece and wife, Megan, Kerri Favor and husband, Joel; grandchildren, River Reece and Ruby Reece; his niece, Rachel Houston; many cousins and countless friends; and his loyal pup, Tita.

He was preceded in death by parents, R.D. & Gladys Reece and younger brother, Billy Joe Reece.