William Harris McReynolds, Jr. ’41

William Harris McReynolds, Jr. ’41, of Santa Rosa, Calif., died Dec. 8 in Sebastopol, Calif. “Bill” was born Feb. 2, 1921, in Clarksville. The Marine Corps introduced him to Texas and following World War II, he made Fort Worth his home. Bill attended Davidson College in North Carolina where he played on the golf team and joined Phi Gamma Delta. When he graduated, he already had his pilot’s license from Civilian Pilot Training Program, and he joined the Marines. After receiving training in flying transport planes at the American Airlines School in Fort Worth, Tex., Bill served in the South Pacific for two years. He flew in and out of many places in the war, including Fiji, Guam, New Caledonia, and Australia, and he landed the first unarmed American transport plane in the Solomon Islands. He stayed in the Marine Reserves for over 20 years, and retired as a lieutenant colonel. After the war, Bill flew for Braniff; however, his main occupation was selling packaging, first for Container Corporation, then as part owner of Packaging, Inc., and later, as a representative for Arrow Industries. In 1979, Bill was honored by the National Ice Association as “Man of the Year” for his work developing a polyethylene film for packaging ice. He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Maxine McReynolds, 1393 Tilton Rd., Sebastopol, Calif. 95472. They met on a blind date and knew instantly that they had found the right person, marrying on Oct. 18, 1947. He is also survived by his two daughters: Cynthia McReynolds of Sebastopol, Calif., and Osha Breez (formerly known as Barbara McReynolds) of Pahoa, Hawaii. They happily shared many experiences, including enjoying their five grandchildren, golfing, touring the U.S. and Canada in their motor home, skiing (Bill) and needle pointing (Maxine), yard work and home improvement projects, dancing, and loving each other through thick and thin. Bill was a handsome, charming gentleman with a wry sense of humor and a generous, devoted heart. One way we will remember Bill and Maxine both is by visiting the bench he put in the parkway near their home in Fort Worth to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary. The plaque with the bench says, “To Maxine, from the Luckiest Guy in world—Bill McReynolds.”