Dorothy Reynolds

Dorothy Alice Henry Reynolds passed away in Baird, Texas, on January 17, 2023 at the age of 86. She was born in Hughes, Arkansas on September 21, 1936, to Bill Henry and Virginia Martin Henry. She was later adopted by her grandparents, Larmer and Willie Henry of Baird, Texas, when her father enlisted in the army following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. She graduated from Baird High School in 1955 and married James C. Reynolds, Jr. on May 6, 1955 in Baird. In 1958, they bought and settled on a farm/ranch in the Rowden community where they lived, worked, raised three children, and eventually retired.

Dorothy was fiercely proud of her ancestral family, who were many of the early founders and settlers of Callahan County and Texas. The family included the first doctor in Callahan County, the second and one of the longest-serving sheriffs of Callahan County who served earlier as a Lieutenant in the Texas Rangers’ Frontier Battalion, the founder and newspaper publisher/editor of the Tecumseh Banner and Baird Star who was also elected to and served in the Texas Legislature, the first postmaster in Tecumseh, an early postmistress in Baird, and an early blacksmith in Belle Plain and Baird.

She was an active member of the class of ’55 at Baird High School, where she was a member of the Future Homemakers of America, played the saxophone in the school band, and played on the basketball team.

She was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker. She loved and supported her husband and children. When her children were in school, she was a member of the PTA, the Band Boosters, and the Athletic Boosters. She was also a Girl Scout leader and a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts. Later in her life, she and her husband were also active members of the Cross Plains Senior Center.

She loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and was a dedicated and determined witness for His kingdom. She was indiscriminately and abundantly generous, providing for needs in the community, regardless of the situation, the person’s needs, or their social standing. Dorothy was a long-time member of the Baptist church, most recently at First Baptist Church in Baird. Over the years, she was a member of the choir, a Sunday School teacher, a VBS worker, and served on the audio-visual team.

She had an angelic voice that she gladly shared with her community. She volunteered and drove countless miles to sing to the residents of nursing homes in Baird, Cross Plains, and Rising Star, and delivered hundreds of audio tapes of sermons and songs to those who were unable to attend church. If you or a loved one married, graduated, or was buried in the vicinity of Callahan County, there’s a good possibility she sang for the occasion.

She had a special affinity for the elderly, working as a nurse’s aide in both the Baird and Cross Plains nursing homes. She also provided in-home care for many elderly members of the community during their final years.

Growing up on a ranch, she was a tireless hard worker--riding horses, fishing, taking care of livestock, fixing fence, and doing any other chore that needed to be done. She almost literally grew up on a horse and had a life-long love of horses. She began her riding career with her father at the age four months. In her youth she rode in parades and rodeos, was named the Rodeo Sweetheart at age thirteen, was voted “Most Authentic Cowgirl” in the Fort Griffin Fandangle in Albany, Texas in 1956, and rode well into life. Dorothy enjoying regaling her family with many stories of summers spent in South Dakota. Like many other west central Texas ranchers in the late 1940s, a severe drought sent them looking for land elsewhere in order to feed their livestock. The family bought and leased several large pieces of land in South Dakota and moved their cattle and horse operations there for the better part of a decade.

If you knew Dorothy, you knew she was feisty and strong-willed. These traits served her well as she battled her two sworn enemies: rattlesnakes and Mesquite trees, both of which grew in abundance in Rowden. Many stories are told of her prowess for seeking out and eradicating many a snake and nuisance tree.

Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband of sixty-six years, James Claude Reynolds, Jr.; infant son, Henry Lee Reynolds; father, Bill Henry; mother, Virginia Hugueley; grandparents, Larmer and Willie Henry; aunt, Shine Griffin; sister, Barbara Boyd; and her beloved horse of twenty-seven years, Princess.

She is survived by her children Jim Reynolds and wife Crecia of Rowden; Ellen Reynolds Steinle and husband Greg of Rowden; Janet Reynolds Flippin and husband Tan of Granbury, Texas. She has six grandchildren Chris Reynolds of Greenwood, Texas; Colby Reynolds and wife Danielle of Boerne, Texas; Dalton Carpenter and wife Alex of Abilene; Kiefer Steinle and girlfriend Macy Carter of Abilene; Drew Flippin of Chicago, Illinois; and Erin Flippin King and husband Aaron of Jonesboro, Arkansas. She also survived by four great-grandchildren; a cousin, Julia Griffin; three sisters Kay Mathijssen, Nancy Berry, and Elaine Moore; one brother, William Hugueley, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be 6:00 to 8:00 PM Friday, January 20, 2023 at Parker-Jacobs Funeral Home in Baird.  Funeral Services will be 10:00 AM Saturday, January 21, 2023 at First Baptist Church Baird, with Pastor David Acevedo officiating.  Burial will be at Ross Cemetery Annex in Baird.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you send donations to the Cross Plains Senior Center.

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