Bennie Ray Reagen, 79, of Bakersfield, formerly of Ventura and Oak View, died peacefully in the comfort of his home on January 26, 2006. He was born April 15, 1926, im Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, to Jack Russell Reagen and Cora Carrie Emmons Reagen. He was the 12th of 13 children, nine of whom survived their first two years. The family migrated to Delano in 1941 and settled there.

Ben attended Delano High School and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944. He served in Belgium, Holland, and Germany in the Battle of the Bulge. He also served as a guard at the Nuremberg trials. He was injured in Germany and spent more than 17 months recuperating in Army hospitals in Bethesda, Maryland, and San Francisco. He received a Purple Heart for his injuries. He was so proud to have served his country.

Back in civilian life, he held jobs around the Central Valley and ended up near his mom and several siblings in Ventura, where he got a job as a roughneck. He rose quickly through the ranks at California Production Service to vice president, working in Ventura and Long Beach. When CPS established ECI, Ben took charge and ran it until starting his own company, Reagen's Vacuum Truck Service, Inc., in 1972. He also started Reagen Sales and Rentals, Inc., and ran both businesses until his retirement in 1990. He and Wanda moved back to Bakersfield in 1998.

Ben was a real wheeler dealer and delighted in finding trucks or tanks in Texas, Oklahoma, or California, shipping them to Ventura, and refurbishing them to his specifications. He was also involved in leasing land and drilling wells for himself. He was a member of the Petroleum Production Pioneers, a distinguished group of men who set the standards in the local oil business.

Before retirement and after, Ben's family and friends were his life. All occasions big or small called for a barbecue, and all barbecues meant Bennie's chili beans, steak, and garlic bread, relished and dreamed about. It was all about the best ingredients and good prices, even if it meant a two-hour drive to a particular meat market. And Bennie wanted to make sure every family member knew how to make his chili beans just the right way. This is just one of the many ways Bennie endeared himself to his grandkids, who loved him so much.

He is survived by his wife and companion of 27 years, Wanda of Bakersfield; sister, Faye Jackson of Fillmore; daughters, Dayna Crow of Bakersfield and Ventura and Danielle Reagen of Ventura; stepchildren, Alicia Shay of Ojai, Julann Sueyres of Ojai, Michael Beechly of Bakersfield; grandchildren, David Crow and Michael Crow of Bakersfield, Paul Crow of Santa Barbara, Jeff Crow of Montague; Chandra Beechly and Jonathan Beechly of Bakersfield; Lisa Sueyres of Davis; Austin Sueyres of Santa Barbara; Brian and Dustin Shay of Bountiful, Utah; great grandchildren, Zacary Crow and Emily Crow of Bakersfield; 14 nieces and nephews and 23 great nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Hurshel, Leo, Leron, Jack, Mark, Tommy, Manuel, and James; his sisters; Tommy Lee, Lavaca, and Hazel; his first wife, Jeanice (Jan) Reynolds; and his great grandson, Andrew Brandon Crow; and so very many whom he called friend.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2006, at 2:00 p.m., at Ted Mayr Loma Vista Chapel, Ventura.

Doughty-Calhoun-O'Meara Funeral Directors

The copyright (s) on this page must appear on all
copied and/or printed material.