RICHARD PATRICK REYNOLDS

Richard Patrick “Dick” Reynolds, age 86, formerly of Lowell, MA died Monday, May 30, 2011, Memorial Day, in Florida, of natural causes, surrounded by the love of his daughters, his son, and in the loving caresses of Frances C. “Franny” (O’Brien) Reynolds, who was his devoted wife, the true love of his life.
Dick was born in Lowell, MA on May 7, 1925 to the late James (Cap) and Agnes (Aggie O'Sullivan) Reynolds. Dick has been preceded in death by his older brothers James, John, and his youngest brother Brian. Dick is survived by his two sisters Mrs. David (Jaqueline) Mahoney of North Hampton, NH and Mrs. Edward (Patricia) Cawley of Lowell, MA and his Irish brother, John Roughan of Riverside, CT.
Following his graduation from Lowell High School, Class of 1943, where he was Colonel of the Boy's Battalion, Dick served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman in the Panama Canal Zone during World War II, achieving the rank of Staff Sargent before receiving his Honorable Discharge in 1946.
Dick enrolled in the College of the Holy Cross in the fall of 1946 and attained his Bachelor of Science degree from the Cross in 1950. In 1958, while working full-time, and newly wed with five children under the age of six, Dick received his M.B.A. from American International College, finishing second in his class.
Throughout his subsequent career in business, Dick rose to the highest levels of business management before fulfilling his dream of business ownership in 1981. With offices in Ft. Lauderdale and Atlanta, Dick successfully grew and operated his business until his retirement in 2000.
The crowning achievement of Dick's life occurred on May 10, 1952 when, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, he married his beloved Frances C. (Franny) O'Brien, also of Lowell. Coupled with their courtship, Dick and Franny embarked on an epic sixty-four year love affair. Internally, the product of their blessed union was the traditional large, Irish Catholic family. But externally, Dick and Franny's marriage served as the quintessential  beacon of hope and  inspiration to countless couples who sought Dick and Franny's guidance, love, wisdom in forging their own marital paths.
In addition to his beautiful and devoted wife Frances---his Franny---Dick is survived by his children Cathy Blouin of Parkton, MD (and  her children Nathan, Aaron, and Adria); Mary Piffath of Columbia, MD (her husband James and their children Brian and Molly); (grandchildren Joshua, Brandon, and Kyle Ristaino); Frances Lukas of Manhattan, NY (and her husband Edmund); Gail Sjelin of Duluth, MN (her husband Mark and their children Matthew, Mark and Nicholas); Janice Kelly of Devon, PA (her husband John and their children Jay and Brooke); Donna Piffath of Inverness, FL (her husband Gerald and their children Connor and Tyler); and Richard Patrick Reynolds, Jr. of Hingham, MA (his wife Colleen and their child Finley Patrick Reynolds).
Dick is also survived by many nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues.

REYNOLDS - In Inverness, Florida, May 30, 2011, Richard Patrick “Dick” Reynolds, 86, formerly of Lowell, husband of Frances C. “Franny” (O’Brien) Reynolds. Friends may call at the O'DONNELL FUNERAL HOME 276 PAWTUCKET ST. at Fletcher from 4 to 8 P.M. Friday. Friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass on Saturday morning at the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH (Lower Church) at 10 o'clock. Burial in St. Mary Cemetery. To further honor Dick's extraordinary and charitable life, the family suggests contributions in his name to the Monastery of Saint Clare, 445 River Road, Andover, MA 01810-4213 or to the College of The Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worchester, MA 01610-2322. E-condolences/Directions at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Arrangements by Funeral Directors James F. O'Donnell, Jr. and John W. Crane. (978 or 866) 458-8768.