Miles Reece Obituary

Bayfield resident Miles Kenneth Reece Jr. died Wednesday, June 18, 2014, when his Cessna 175 crashed in the La Sal Mountains southeast of Moab, Utah. He was 62.

Mr. Reece was born to Erma (Fox) and Miles Kenneth Reece Sr. on Dec. 7, 1951, in Whittier, California. He grew up in Whittier, La Mirada and San Gabriel, California.

In 1972, he graduated from the Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, California, where he became a certified airframe and power plant mechanic.

After graduation, he moved to Boulder, where he worked for Roach Aviation at Jefferson County Airport as a small-plane pilot. He began flying air freight around the Rocky Mountain states shortly afterward and eventually became first officer on DC-9s and 747s and a flight engineer on 727s for Evergreen Airlines. He also was a pilot for Continental Airlines for several years before the company's first bankruptcy. He logged thousands of hours in heavy aircraft with the two airlines.

He moved to Bayfield in 1995, where he worked for longtime friend Jeff Grigsby at Indian Motor Works. He also had his own large shop, where he built and restored numerous collector cars and motorcycles.

He was a member of the Over the Hill Gang car club and the Durango Old Car Club.

"His handiwork was superb and was shown in national magazines," according to his family. "His work also can be found on countless vehicles all over Colorado and the West."

Mr. Reece owned several light aircraft, including the 1958 Cessna he was flying at the time of the crash. He rebuilt the plane from the ground up and had it inspected by Federal Aviation Administration authorities before flying it.

"He was incredibly alert and cautious when involved with any aspect of flight," according to his family.

Mr. Reece is the second member of his family to die in a plane crash. His nephew, Ken Reece, was killed when his plane went down in January 1997.

"Miles was an incredibly talented builder of hot rods, trucks and motorcycles," according to his family. "He could build anything mechanical."

Mr. Reece climbed many of Colorado's highest peaks and enjoyed horseback riding and mountain flying.

Mr. Reece is survived by his life partner, Maureen O'Donnell, of Bayfield; his brother, Mark Reece, of Reno, Nevada; and his half-sister Sharon Smith of Oregon City, Oregon.

Cremation will occur. A memorial service will be held in Bayfield at a later date.