by After a protracted illness, the Dallas native, longtime educator, and civic, social, and communal leader passed away on Friday, August 15.
Maxine Thornton-Reese, 86, a longtime supporter of community uplift and let’s grow together, passed away peacefully at home with her loved ones by her side.
Thornton-Reese, a longtime member of the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., acquired a passion for community service and honed her talents through continuous active community uplift activities.
Joyce Foreman, a trustee for the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and a former math student in Thornton-Reese’s class at Lincoln High School, wrote that Maxine was fair but firm and that she expected your best effort. If not for the B that Dr. Thornton-Reese gave me, I would have received all As during one grading period at Lincoln High School. She said I was getting better when I asked her. Dr. Thornton-Reese was commended by the foreman for consistently establishing high performance standards.
In her recent remarks regarding Thornton-Reese, Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert also mentioned the quality, stating, “She gifted the City of Dallas with eight years, serving as District 4 City Council Member from 1999 through 2007.” Following her tenure on the Council, Dr. Thornton-Reese continued to have a beneficial influence on the community and effectively represented the district.
Thornton-Reese, who was born in 1938 in Dallas, went to public schools in Dallas and then went on to the University of North Texas (then known as North Texas State College) to complete her undergraduate and graduate studies. She graduated from Texas A&M University’s Commerce with a Ph.D.
Texas State Representative Toni Rose remarked, “Maxine was a friend, a classmate at the University of North Texas, and a trustworthy communicator with my dad, Charles Rose.” Dad appreciated her strategic advise and recommendations. I also did.
As a member of the DART board, Thornton-Reese continuously worked in the customer service and community outreach divisions of DART to improve communication and establish connections with DART users who depend on public transportation to get around the DART service area.
In honor of her 49 years of unbroken devotion, Thornton-Reese’s Dallas Alumnae Chapter of her cherished Delra Sigma Theta Sorority released the following statement:
The loss of our dear Soror Dr. Maxine Thornton-Reese is deeply felt by the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her unrelenting dedication to education, public service, and sisterhood has made an enduring impression on our community and our sorority. She was a strong, purposeful, and devout lady. Future generations of leaders will be motivated by Soror Reese’s legacy of devoted leadership. We offer her family our sincere sympathies and prayers during this difficult time.
The wake will be place at the New Jerusalem Institutional Baptist Church, 3022 S. Beckley Avenue, on Friday, August 22, at 7 p.m.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Omega Omega Service is scheduled for this Friday at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, August 23, at 11 a.m., the Celebration of Life Services will also take place at New Jerusalem Institutional Baptist Church.
