Obituary

Henry Lee Rieff, 90, of Cotton Center passed away Monday, Aug. 31, 2015, in Plainview. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church with Mr. Ron Warren officiating. Burial will follow in Plainview Cemetery under the care of Kornerstone Funeral Directors of Plainview. Henry was born Jan. 2, 1925, in West Fork, Arkansas, to Garland and Sylvia Rieff. He grew up in Arkansas before moving with his family to Cotton Center in the late 1930s. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for two years. He married Elouise Brewster on June 8, 1947, in Cotton Center. They were married for 62 years before she passed in 2009. Henry attended and graduated from Wayland Baptist College. Henry farmed in Cotton Center for more than 30 years and afterward was elected to serve as Hale County commissioner in Precinct 3 for 16 years. Those who knew him would say he never officially retired but he spent many hours during his retirement years assisting Elouise at the Hale County Farm and Ranch Museum. Henry served as deacon at the First Baptist Church in Cotton Center for many years, but most recently was a member of First Baptist Plainview where he also served as a deacon. Henry was preceded in death by his wife Elouise Brewster Rieff; son, Ronnie Rieff; parents, Garland and Sylvia Rieff; a daughter-in-law, Marion Rieff; and six sisters and one brother. Survivors include three sons, Jerry Rieff and wife Barbara of Hale Center, Burt Rieff and wife Lynne of Florence, Alabama, David Rieff and wife Sydney of Amarillo; one sister, Ruby Barber of Little Rock, Arkansas; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Family visitation will be held from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Online condolences may be made at www.kornerstonefunerals.com.