Joseph E. Reaves, Jr.

Joseph Edward Reaves, Jr., 85, husband of the late Diane Burgess Reaves, passed away peacefully Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at McLeod Hospice House in Florence, SC.

Joe was born July 10, 1941, in Lakeland, Florida, a son of the late Joseph

Edward Reaves and Julia Boland Reaves. He was a graduate of Latta High School and worked as a superintendent at Dargan Construction Company for 39 years, building many high-rises along the Grand Strand.. He was married to

Opal Diane Burgess, the love of his life, for 57 years. In his free time, he enjoyed gardening for Diane and fishing

Surviving are: his brother, Richard (Susan) Reaves of Myrtle Beach, SC; sister, Joanne Reaves Hudson (John Korsiak) of Citrus Springs, FL; brothers-in-law, Dicky (Olivia) Burgess of Midlothian, VA and Lamar William “Bill” Burgess III of Kingstree, SC; and a sister-in-law, Gail (Leon) McKnight of Florence, SC, along with many nephews and nieces. In addition to his parents and wife, Joe was preceded in death by sisters, Jane Powers and Judy Lovelace and sisters-in- law, Miriam R. Burgess and Janice B. Hardy.

Graveside funeral services for Joe will be 3 P.M. Friday, November 6, 2026, in Kingstree Memorial Gardens, 11095 Hemingway Highway, Kingstree, SC.

Memorials may be made to McLeod Health Foundation, McLeod Hospice, PO Box 100551, Florence, SC 29502 or online at www.mcleodhealth.org Online condolences may be sent to the family on the obituary page at www.WillamsburgFuneralHome.com.