Carol Lee (James) Reaves passed away on March 16, 2021 at her home in Irrigon with her husband, Bill by her side at the age of 79.
She was born on Oct. 11, 1941 in Payette, Idaho to Joe James and Lee Pyatt.
She was the oldest of nine children. She had one son, Paul Kramer, who married Tracy Kramer and gave her two grandchildren, Joshua and Amber Kramer.
Carol had a great love for family and enjoyed sharing stories of her life with them. She once wrote a book called “Lloyds Edition” as a recollection of memories from the first 18 years of her life. By the end of this book, she gave us a glimpse into her world as an adult: “In my future, I would find myself alone in New York City with a long journey home. I married and had a beautiful boy! I lived in the Alaska Wilderness now called “The Rain Forest” with lots of excitement and thrilling stories. I flew out of Alaska when my husband was injured and another story waits in Seattle, I experienced a spiritual experience and a divorce, another story. I left church, (not God!) and tried my hand at making it on my own. I entered into another marriage with much more travel. I learned about the computer world and I worked at an auction business with my son and husband. To me it was all so interesting and there are so many stories to be told.”
Carol wore many hats throughout her life. She was a granddaughter, daughter, sister, employee, business woman, wife, mother, friend and grandmother. Throughout her career, she spent time as a sales woman traveling across the country from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine. She was a seamstress for Jantzen swimwear, she was in quality control for Simplot, and more. Throughout all of her vocational endeavors, she was finally led to find herself at the forefront of the building of a family business, the Columbia River Auction. She helped build that company from the ground up, managing everything from
accounting to advertising and office management. From all of her titles given throughout her career, the one she held highest of all was “Domestic Engineer.”
Carol and Bill Reaves were married on Dec. 31, 1979 in Gold Beach. At this time, she gained a stepdaughter, Lindsay Reaves. Bill and Carol traveled all around for work, taking them from Montana to North Dakota to California, and more. They built the Reaves Roost RV Park in Irrigon, now known as Oasis RV Park. This marked the end of their work travels. They built a house, a beautiful garden nursery, and began the Columbia River Auction.
Carol enjoyed sewing, knitting, gardening, fishing, and spending time with her family. She had the joy of living next door to her son and two grandchildren as they grew up. There are no words that quite emphasize enough the integral part that she played in their lives growing up.
Carol is survived by her husband, Bill Reaves; brothers, Charley Mark James, George Irvin James and Robert (Robby) Allen Land; sister, JoAnn James; son, Paul Kramer; daughter-in-law, Tracy Kramer; stepdaughter, Lindsay Reaves; grandson, Joshua Kramer; and granddaughter, Amber Kramer.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Michael William James; as well as sisters, Marilyn Fay Wisbeck, Florence Fay Mosley and Linda Jo Roberts.
A graveside service following state guidelines will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 1 p.m. at the Desert Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Irrigon.
Please share memories of Carol with her family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
